Amongst the Daisies
by katsuyo
Summary: Multichapter. Why does love have to be such a messy business? Ino finds a new love after experiencing heartbreak.So who is the guy and why all the mystery?
1. The flower girl's dilemma

**Author's Note:**

I enjoy hearing from reviewers and every so often I get requests for stories with particular pairings.

This multi-chapter story is dedicated to **Deserter**, who wanted to see me wreak some major havoc on a Shino and Ino pairing. I hope you enjoy it… little freak. XD

Special thanks to **Judo Creature **for doing the beta/previewing for me – very much appreciated.

Those folks, who have written me PMs requesting particular pairings – do not despair.

I will get around to it when it's humanly possible.

Please check the new story update section at the top of my Author Profile page for regular updates on the stories.

The characters are portrayed as being in their early twenties. I thought a Shino and Ino with a little more life experience under their belts would make a better story.

There is no such thing as being out of character where love is concerned. Love is a strange emotion at the best of times. It does mad and crazy things to folks!

Oh yeah… one more thing… do you smell the tang of lemon in the air? I sure do…

It can show up in this chapter or the next… one can never tell with lemon.

**Flower meanings:**

Daisy – Innocence, Loyal Love, I'll never tell, Purity.

**Disclaimer:** Baby cakes – you know I don't own Naruto… so you best be stepping off so I can write the next chapter, a'ight? Enjoy, my lovelies, enjoy!

I never understood before  
I never knew what love was for  
My heart was broke, my head was sore  
What a feeling

Tied up in ancient history  
I didn't believe in destiny  
I look up you're standing next to me  
What a feeling

What a feeling in my soul  
Love burns brighter than sunshine  
Brighter than sunshine  
Let the rain fall, I don't care  
I'm yours and suddenly you're mine  
Suddenly you're mine  
and it's brighter than sunshine

_Brighter than Sunshine – Aqualung_

**Chapter One – The flower girl's dilemma**

Sakura pushed open the hospital door and took a deep breath of fresh air into her lungs as she stepped out into the street. It had been an unusually hectic day to say the least and part of her was wishing that she could go back to her apartment and spend the rest of the evening soaking in a hot bath. Kami was not on her side today though – she had received a frantic phone call from Ino just before she left for work this morning and she had promised to meet her at a little café in the village as soon as she finished her shift.

The pink-haired woman frowned slightly trying to figure what was going on with her friend. It had been a strange conversation but she'd been getting used to a lot of weird behavior from Ino-pig in the past few months. If she wasn't doing missions or working in the flower shop, the blonde just disappeared for hours at a time and would show up glowing with smiles but no answers. Granted, Sakura was curious as hell about the mysterious little trips but she decided that she wouldn't pry into her dearest friend's personal life. If the pinkette didn't know any better, she could have sworn that her friend was seeing someone. Sakura mentally scoffed at that notion. Ino had taken it rather hard when Shikamaru began seeing Gaara's sister Temari on a regular basis. When the two had announced their engagement nine months ago, Sakura had seen the inner spark die in her blonde companion. It had only been in recent months that she had noticed the bloom back in her friend's cheeks and she was grateful for that small favor at least.

_Well – no use worrying about it… I will find out what's going on soon enough._ Sakura sighed wistfully to herself. 

Her bath would have to wait for later… Ino was more important!

---------------------------

Ino sat at the little booth in the back of the café, nervously twisting the pristine white napkin in her lap. She hadn't planned on things happening the way they had but she certainly didn't regret the last few months. Ino admitted privately that this was the happiest she had been in a while.

The blonde looked over at the entrance scanning for a familiar pink head. Ino took a cleansing breath and calmed herself down. There was no point in panicking until she had a chat with Sakura. Ino was trying not to think about the fallout if her suspicions were correct. The waitress approached her table then and asked her if she wanted to order something while she waited for her friend. Ino placed an order for some green tea, relieved to have something to take her mind off her worries.

She looked out the window and sighed sadly. She knew Sakura was curious about her prolonged disappearances from the village but was relieved that her pink-haired companion didn't pry. After the mess with Shikamaru, she had been terrified of letting any man get close to her again in that capacity. _He_ had managed to slip under her defenses somehow and changed that. A slight movement on the window sill caught her eye. It was definitely a lucky sign. Ino gently touched the lady bug sedately crawling on the sill and gave a gentle smile. Lady bugs always made her think of _him_.

Ino frowned at that thought. She felt bad about keeping this problem to herself but she was scared of rejection. Not that she thought he would but she'd been rejected once and the pain still echoed in the background. She didn't think she could cope if _he_ turned his back on her… not when she secretly loved him so much…

"Here you go… one green tea."

The waitress had arrived back at the table with the tea and noted the blonde woman's preoccupation.

"Wow – You don't normally see lady bugs this time of the year… they're a sign of good luck, you know."

Ino looked up as the beetle flew off into the nearby tree and replied, "Thanks… Yes, a friend of mine told me once they were a good omen."

Ino was going to say more when they were distracted by the arrival of a certain pinkette.

The waitress walked off to fetch another menu while Sakura settled down in her seat by the window. The medic nin thanked the young woman when she returned and redirected her attention to her blonde friend. Despite the nervous aura she was giving off, Ino certainly looked more at peace than she'd seen her in a while.

Ino waited for Sakura to place her order and they waited in companionable silence until the waitress delivered the tea and sweet cakes.

She watched her friend take a measured sip of her tea and lean forward on the table.

"Ino-pig… are you okay? Your phone call this morning got me worried." Whispered Sakura. The medic nin's green eyes flared slightly when she watched her friend blush bright red and return to twisting the cotton napkin in an agitated manner. _Wow – she'd never seen Ino **this** nervous!_ The blonde looked up and reached for her tea, taking a sip before indecisively biting her lip.

"Forehead Girl… I think I may be in trouble." Replied the blonde hesitantly.

Sakura gave a worried frown and asked, "Trouble? How so?"

Ino quickly looked around to make sure no one was looking in their direction before she leaned closer to the pinkette and whispered brokenly, "I think I'm pregnant…"

Sakura was in the process of bringing the teacup to her lips when Ino dropped that little bombshell. She didn't feel the hot tea splash on her leg as the cup smashed on the floor but the sound snapped the woman out of her shock. The waitress rushed over to the table to clean up the broken shards of pottery. Sakura blushed painfully and apologized for the mess. Ino gave the woman a chagrinned look and asked for the check. Sakura nodded slowly at the blonde's logic. Here was not the place to ask the questions she needed answered.

The woman rushed off to get the bill while Ino fished around in her bag for her wallet. As soon as the check arrived, the blonde slapped down enough money to cover the order as well as a generous tip.

The two women walked of the café and headed back towards the village.

"Where do you want to go now?" asked Ino in a worried tone.

Sakura stopped and gave the blonde's arm a comforting pat. "How about we stop over at my office… I need to pick up a couple of things."

The blonde gave the medic nin a startled look of relief and whispered, "Oh my god! Thank you, Sakura… I don't deserve a friend like you."

The two women continued walking down the road, unaware that someone watched the exchange with great interest from the safety of the big oak tree.

--------------------------

Ino sat on the edge of the examination table gripping the edge with white knuckles. She was scared, nervous, excited… Sakura had just left for the lab with the blood work. In a few minutes, she would know the answer. The blonde looked over at the window and smiled. She knew that she owed the medic nin a lot of answers but she was thankful that her friend was prepared to wait a little while longer.

Sakura rushed back in with a file in her hand. She sat down next to her friend and gently held her hand, unsure of Ino's reaction to what she was able to tell her.

"Ino-pig… you are pregnant… by my calculations, roughly three months. I need to finish the examination and I'll be able to tell you more." murmured the medic nin. Sakura positioned her friend on the table and continued to gently hold her hand while she continued. She was secretly worried that Ino would fall apart when she heard but she seemed almost serene. The pinkette took that as an excellent sign because she had even more surprising news to tell her.

Sakura took her time smoothing down Ino's gown and helping her to sit up. Ino glanced at her friend with concern, "Well, Forehead Girl… is everything okay?"

Sakura patted her friend's hand and smiled wryly, "Ino, apart from the nausea you've been experiencing, you're healthy as a horse."

Ino caressed the slight slope of her belly and frowned briefly before asking, "Sakura is it normal to start showing this soon? I was hoping that I would have a little more time before I needed to tell everyone I'm going to become a mommy."

Here it comes, the part she was nervous about…she needed to tell Ino now while the opportunity was available.

"Ino…" began Sakura anxiously, "It's perfectly normal to start showing around this time when you're expecting… twins."

----------------------------

Ino pulled on her clothes in a daze, a small smile on her face. _She was going to become a mommy!_ She sighed as a sudden thought popped into her head. She needed to tell _him_ before she told her parents the news – it was after all, the right thing to do. He needed to find out from her that he was going to become a father. The blonde wasn't too sure how he was going to take it – he rarely showed any outward emotion but she was hoping that he would be happy for her. She knew that he cared deeply for her and that was a start. Ino finished dressing and walked over to the door to find Sakura waiting patiently outside the room. She had wanted to tell her everything then and there but the pink haired one quickly shook her head and suggested that it could wait until they were somewhere more private for _this_ particular conversation.

Ino silently agreed with her companion. She waited this long to divulge all the details, she can wait a while longer.

Sakura looked at her blonde friend with concern in her green eyes.

"You ready to go, Forehead Girl?" asked Ino with a small smile in her voice.

The medic nin nodded mutely in response, marveling at her friend's newfound serenity. She was now just _dying_ of curiosity to find out who this paragon of manhood was that instilled this sense of calm into Ino.

Sakura finally found her voice and asked, "You wanna go to my place or yours for our little chat?"

A breezy little chuckle drifted through the air as the blonde replied, "Definitely mine – we've got something to celebrate… Come on, Forehead Girl, I have a tub of ice cream with your name on it!"

Ino stepped over to her friend and looped her arm through Sakura's own. The two young women walked out of the hospital, not aware of the two men watching them.

-----------------------

The man hiding in the shadows followed the two young women with his eyes before he planned to follow them at a distance. He was always careful to mask his chakra and so far hadn't been caught in the act of being Ino's shadow. She would tear strips off him if she knew that he regularly escorted her home from their weekly rendezvous. He hadn't meant to follow her today but something inside kept pulling at his heart, urging him to go check on her. Her odd behavior over the past two weeks had him fearing the possibility that things weren't as wonderful between them as he had imagined. He caught a flicker of a figure from the corner of his eye coming out of the hospital and noticed the man was frowning in contemplation. The man in the tree scowled slightly when he saw who it was. Shikamaru! The figure knew that although Ino never mentioned it while they were together, the shadow wielder had hurt her pretty badly and the emotional scars went deep. He remembered the pale broken girl he first encountered in that daisy field after the breakup and was proud of the fact that he was responsible for chasing those dark clouds away from her soul. He wasn't happy about keeping their relationship under wraps but he understood her fears. He had wanted to openly show his love for her several times but he was secretly worried about scaring her off. The man in the shadows sighed silently. He was not by nature an openly demonstrative individual but with her, he would be unafraid to declare to the world at large his deepest admiration for the blonde if she just said the word.

He frowned slightly as he continued to watch the man still staring after _his_ woman.

_Yeah, Shikamaru… **his**._ _It's not **your** name she howls when she's screaming in orgasm._

The man felt his face flush with the sudden possessiveness that washed over him and took a calming breath to settle himself down. It was not his problem that the man may be having regrets. As far as he was concerned, the man had made his choice and so had he. He wasn't about to give up on something so precious to him now that he had found his heart's desire. The figure glanced down at the road again and smiled as he watched the two women turn down a familiar street. He flicked his glance back at the man watching them still and shrugged slightly before disappearing back into the shadows.

-----------------------------------

Shikamaru stood in the middle of the street, watching the two women walking arm in arm down the road. He had witnessed the blonde's curious secrecy and wondered at the source. He thrust his hands into his pockets and frowned in thought. She seemed a lot happier these days and he was privately relieved by that.

He hadn't meant to hurt her as badly as he did but it couldn't be helped. It wasn't often a man was torn between two beautiful women like Temari and Ino. He had to make a choice and he chose the fiery fan wielding sand shinobi. Belatedly, he had wished she found out about his relationship with the other woman in a less startling manner. It had torn at his insides to see Ino retreat from everyone like that but there wasn't much that could be done to repair the damage that had been done. Despite the initial awkwardness, they had somehow managed to maintain a sense of camaraderie up until when he announced his engagement to Temari… then everything went south. He still didn't know what happened the night of the engagement party. Ino and Temari had disappeared for a while but Ino had come back looking all pale and had been physically shaking in fear. Shikamaru had caught sight of her before she darted out of the party like the hounds of Hell were after her. He had tried asking his Fiancée but she clammed up whenever he mentioned the other blonde by name. He knew Temari was extremely jealous of his prior relationship with Ino. In fact, Shikamaru had his suspicions that his woman had threatened bodily harm to his team mate if she didn't disappear. He had no proof of this, of course - because both women weren't talking. It was just too convenient that Ino had suddenly asked for a transfer into another team and now avoided him like the plague. The shadow wielder sighed, a little saddened by the current state of affairs he found himself in. He genuinely missed his chats with the blonde at the flower shop. She actually understood him on a deeper level. A part of him mourned the possibility of what could have been with Ino if they had have gone beyond a couple of innocent kisses.

He remembered the last time he had been around her. It was four months ago and Ino had passed him in the street. It was obvious that she hadn't noticed his presence but he recalled how her eyes had glowed with a quiet radiance. In that moment, he had never seen her look more beautiful. She had glided down the road with that sultry half smile on her face, her hips undulating hypnotically as she walked. He wasn't the only one who had watched her with a great deal of interest.

_Hell! Every male within a six mile radius had tracked her path through town that day!_

He had known right then that someone had finally claimed her affections for his own.

A part of him was jealous that she had found happiness in the arms of another but he couldn't fault her in moving on with her life. Shikamaru watched the two women turn down a street that led to the blonde's apartment and shrugged.

He heard the leaves in the nearby tree rustle but took no notice of it. Shikamaru took one last look down the road before he turned and walked away in the opposite direction home… home to Temari. He tried not to dwell on the little curl of anxiety that settled into his stomach at that thought. He had made his decision. It was too late to have regrets now…

-----------------------

Ino unlocked her apartment door and ushered her friend into her home. Sakura slipped off her shoes and gratefully flopped on one of the fluffy couches in the living room.

The pink haired woman looked around the sunny looking room and grinned at the vase of daisies sitting prominently on the coffee table. The blonde worked in a flower shop and had her pick of exotic blooms but she preferred the simplistic beauty of the wild daisies. The irony never failed to put a smile on the medic Nin's face.

"Do you just want the ice cream Sakura or do you want some wine to go with it as well?" called a voice from the kitchen.

The medic nin looked up from her contemplation of the daisies and replied, "Sure, white wine would be lovely… thanks."

Sakura had a feeling that she was going to need some Dutch courage to go with her ice cream.

The pinkette gratefully took the proffered glass of wine from her friend and took a small sip. She watched Ino place her bowl of ice cream on the coffee table before settling into the nearby couch with her bowl in hand. Sakura took another sip, glancing over at her friend's delight in the frozen treat. She smiled then looked at Ino with concern in her eyes. "Ino-pig, before you fill me in what I have the feeling is going to be the scandal of the century… I need to know one thing."

Ino frowned at her companion and replied, "What's that, Forehead girl?"

Sakura toyed with the stem of the glass before answering. "How do you feel about this man?"

Ino stirred her spoon idly through her ice cream before scooping a portion out and popping it into her mouth.

"I'm in love with him… but I've never told him how I feel." came the softly spoken response.

Sakura looked up in shock. "You love him but he doesn't know? How is that possible?" Ino grimaced slightly, "I've known for a while but I just didn't know the best way to tell him… Sakura, I-I'm scared of getting hurt again."

A shadowy figure leaned against the bedroom wall in shock. He'd been waiting for her to return but stayed in the sanctuary of the bedroom when he heard Sakura's voice. He knew Ino hadn't told her best friend about them yet but he respected her wishes to tell the medic nin when she was ready.

_She loved him!_ A part of him wanted to rush out and sweep her off her feet right then and there, despite Sakura's presence in the room.

"Well… I can see where that would be a problem. Does he feel the same way about you?" asked the medic nin.

"_Yes, Yes … a thousand times yes. Please leave, Sakura" _begged the man in the shadows "_I'll show her just how much I love her!"_

He could see Ino chewing her lip in his mind before she responded. _He wished he could chew her bottom lip for her!_ The man flopped his head into his hands in despair and then looked up in surprise at Ino's words.

"I-I think he does, Sakura but I'm not sure… He's more of the action speaks louder than words type of guys…"

He could hear the sly smile in the medic nin's voice when she asked, "So, how is his action, Ino?"

There was a long pause and a clatter. He had the impression that his blonde vixen was blushing… then he heard her reverent hushed tone as she uttered one word, "_Incredible!_"

_Damn it! He was blushing now! _

Sakura looked at her blushing friend and felt a little envious at her obvious happiness.

"Wow, Ino-pig… you're one lucky girl." sighed the pink-haired one.

He heard Ino's concern in her voice when she uttered, "Oh God, I'm sorry Sakura. I never meant to upset you."

Sakura sighed and replied, "No, no, Ino… you didn't upset me in the slightest. I'm just glad that one of us has finally found some happiness in their love life."

The man in the bedroom was shocked. He knew for a fact that the beautiful pink haired woman could have her pick of any man in two villages.

"No, Ino. It's not your fault that I set my sights on men who have the emotional equivalency of ice cubes in Siberia."

_Ohhh…_ The figure in the shadows was wracking his brain trying to figure out who the men were that had caught the eye of the pinkette.

"Oh Sakura… don't tell me that you're still hung up on Sasuke!"

Sakura laughed, "Hell no… I gave up on that cold fish years ago!"

"Then who?" asked Ino then a thought occurred to her… "Oh no, Sakura… don't tell me, it's one of those two! They don't even know you exist."

The man was beginning to feel like a peeping tom. He was thinking that maybe he should leave the two women to have their girl chat but on the other hand, he was curious to find out who the two men were…

Sakura grimaced, "I like them both but you're right. Neji is too busy with Anbu missions and helping Hinata run the Hyuuga clan to look in my general direction… and Gaara, well apart from being the Kazekage – he's not interested in letting anyone other than his family get close to him."

_Whoa! Sakura certainly picked the cream of the iceberg bunch, that's for sure…_ The man in the shadows blushed. He was in no position to criticize though… he wasn't big on expressing himself either.

"Well, enough about my sad and sorry love life. If I am meant to have someone in my life like you do, it will happen."

The man admired the medic nin's attitude. He was sure that the right man for her would show up when the timing was right. She was wrong about one thing though… He knew for a fact that both men in question carried a torch for the pink-haired woman but were too stubborn to say or do anything about it.

"Ino – I'm dying to know who this mystery man is… When do I get to meet him and when are you going to tell him that he's going to become a father in six months time?"

His heart skipped a beat. _Wow…_ he blinked. _Wow._

His head rested up against the wall… he was in shock but it was a relieved and happy shock. It explained a lot of things…

-----------------------------

Two things happened at the same time. The two women suddenly felt the presence of someone else in the apartment and a butterfly drifted in from the open window to finally rest on the bouquet of wild daisies sitting on the table.

Ino didn't seem too upset by the thought of an intruder in her home but smiled sweetly at the crimson butterfly on the daisies.

It was an eloquent declaration of the man's feelings for her and it touched her deeply.

"Well, Sakura… I think now is as good a time as any, I guess…"

The medic nin looked at the red butterfly in confusion before a thought dawned on her…

_No way!_ _That wasn't possible… they were like day and night…_

Ino still looking at the butterfly with a half smile on her lips called out to the figure in the bedroom.

"You may as well come out… Sakura knows you're here."

The man sheepishly shuffled out of the bedroom and took a seat next to the blonde.

It was! Holy shit! Ino certainly did it this time!

He pulled the hood off his head and pocketed his sunglasses before reverently picking up her friend's hand and kissing it tenderly.

Sakura felt tears prick at the back of her eyelids when she watched Shino place Ino's hand he still held onto her belly and caressed it lovingly.

_Lucky, Lucky, Ino-pig… _

She watched the interaction between the two and began to realize now just how perfect they were for each other.

Shino gave Ino the emotional anchor she needed in her life… and Ino? Well, Ino gave the bug wielder something worthwhile to fight for…

"Is it true?" asked a masculine voice in hushed tones.

Sakura looked up from her contemplation of their joined hands and blushed.

"Huh?" asked the medic nin dumbly.

She was having a tough time concentrating on the conversation. This was the first time she'd ever looked directly into the eyes of an Aburame. They were quite mesmerizing.

"Is it true that I'm going to become a father?" asked the tall elegant male again, this time with a smile in his voice.

Sakura's emerald eyes softened as she took in the sight of the two lovers on the couch across from her. "Yes, its true, Shino. You're going to be rather busy in six months time…"

She looked at her blonde friend and said, "Ino, you need to tell him the rest…"

The medic nin sat back with her glass of wine and took a sip while watching the proceedings with interest.

The blonde was nervous… but Shino started talking first, "Ino, I do love you dearly. I know I don't tell you but I was worried that a part of you was still pining for Shikamaru." Ino adamantly shook her head and grimaced, "No… Temari is welcome to him."

Sakura sat back and watched fascinated, sipping her white wine – her ice cream forgotten on the table.She didn't know how her blonde friend couldn't figure out this man had it bad for her. It was obvious to her that the Kikaichuu master wore his heart on his sleeve as far as Ino was concerned. The medic nin could tell her friend was stalling… she needed to do something about that!

"Ino…" growled the pinkette, "Please tell him your news _or _I will…" added Sakura sweetly.

"You can start by telling him that you love him as well…" she prompted, rolling her eyeballs.

_Ino-pig could be so dense at times!_

"Oh!" gasped Ino, glaring at Sakura. _Sheesh! Pushy bitch!_

Sakura shrugged and took another sip of her white wine. She knew what her friend was thinking. It wasn't anything she hadn't heard before from the blonde.

Shino cut in, surprising both women, "Ino… sweetheart, I heard everything. I know you love me. What is the other news you need to tell me?"

The medic nin frowned… the poor guy was really nervous now. This was the most she had ever heard the man utter around her. Then she saw it… his destruction beetles were starting to get agitated. The bugs always made her a little squeamish. She adored Shino but those bugs of his… nuh-uh.

Ino saw it too and realized that she needed to put the poor man out of his misery before he lost control of his beetles.

"Shino, I'm pregnant with twins…" she rushed out quickly.

As quick as that, the bugs silenced their loud buzzing.

"Twins? Really?" Shino pushed one trembling hand through his hair. He looked like he was going to cry, which was a first for him… he rarely showed emotion.

Sakura smiled, it was first time she had ever seen Shino so rattled. It was rather sweet.

Shino gulped and then quietly said, "Ino, nothing would give me the greatest pleasure than to marry you but I understand if you still need time."

The medic nin choked on her wine when she heard that. _Damn! Ino had a **keeper**!_

"I do have one request though…" continued the bug wielder.

The two women looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I would prefer to be by your side when we inform our families of the good news."

_Yep – definitely a keeper!_

_Lucky, lucky Ino-pig!_

She was going to cry but first she was just dying to know…

"So – how did this happen?"

Ino looked at an openly adoring Shino and blushed.

"Well, it all started in the daisy fields outside the village six months ago…"

Sakura settled back into her chair and got comfortable. She had a feeling these two had quite the tale to tell.


	2. The carnal delights of daisies

**Author's Note:**

Yes, yes… I know… I took my sweet time getting this chapter out.

I would like to give a big thank you to **Judo Creature** for doing the beta and for providing valuable feedback on this story.

As a result of her hard work and dedication to grammatical perfection, I decided to do a rewrite in sections and I am now a little happier with the results.

This was a royal pain to work on because this is my first lemon, so it was nice to be able to iron out the rough spots before I released it to the masses.

If carnal naughtiness or the mere thought of these two doing the horizontal mambo offends you – now would be the best time to click that back button.

While the story has gone through one beta editing session before posting, there is a chance that there will may be further revision done to the chapter later. 

This story is dedicated to **Deserter** – a bold romantic tale for a fearless individual.

This is also dedicated to those folks to those who truly love to read their fan fiction as much as I do.

If you feel like reviewing the story – I always enjoy hearing from you guys.

I hope you enjoy the new chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it for you.

Any sentence in _italics_ denotes the private thoughts of an individual character.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, which is a good thing because I would be out pimping Neji every Saturday night. Why Neji? Why not. Enjoy, my beauties, enjoy!

You're everything that I want and ask for  
You're all that I'd dreamed   
Who wouldn't be the one you love  
Who wouldn't stand inside your love  
Protected and the lover of  
A pure soul and beautiful you

_Stand Inside Your Love – Smashing Pumpkins_

**Chapter Two - The carnal delights of Daisies**

_Six months earlier – a surprising discovery…_

Ino always found the open field of daisies to be soothing therapy for a tough week. It didn't matter what it was… hard mission, rotten week in the flower shop listening to third rate gossip or trying her best to avoid any place Shikamaru might be… a day spent cutting wild daisies for a bouquet always seemed to cheer her up.

She rubbed her tired and swollen eyes, trying in vain _not_ to think about that last scenario.

_Temari was one crazy bitch!_

She had come into the flower shop the one day her mother was out of town and managed to totally ruin her week. Ino sighed sadly at her situation. Temari just wasn't convinced that she didn't want her man despite the fact that Ino now trained with another cell and she went out of her way to avoid the shadow wielder at all costs.

She flopped herself back down on the blanket spread out in the middle of the daisy field.

Ino was pretty much at her wits end. She had come to the conclusion this morning that she needed to actively look for a man. The problem was – she wanted someone who treated her as an equal rather than a spoil of war. She wanted someone she could spend time just sitting in the daisy field and just enjoy their company. In short, she wanted someone who could be a friend as well as a lover…

Ino sighed in disgust. She had wracked her brain but so far, no men who fit within those criteria came immediately to her mind.

The blonde lazily stretched her arms above her head, feeling her short summer dress ride up higher on her thighs. She picked up one of the cut daisies lying on the blanket and that's when she saw it… a ladybug. The blonde pushed herself up from a sitting position and scanned the field with a small smile on her lips. The rogue!

_She knew he was here somewhere… she just needed to figure out where._

------------------------

The young man watched the pretty blonde from a distance. He lounged against a large tree, his Kikaichuu beetles sparring in the distance. It was their little game they liked to play. She'd sit there on her tartan blanket in the middle of the daisy field and he would send her a ladybug. She would then try to figure out where he was lurking. He never got tired of it, even after all these years and it seemed that neither did Ino. He gave a small smile from behind his collar when she finally caught sight of him under the large oak tree and waved him over.

Shino pushed away from the tree and moved languidly through the daisies, careful not to disturb the bees flitting between the flowers. Occasionally he would stop and whisper something to the insects before he moved on. Ino shook her head slightly at the sight - it was such a typical _Shino_ thing to do.

She patted the blanket and watched the tall man gracefully sit down. Ino felt long tapered fingers grasp her chin gently and turn her face towards the owner of the digits. She didn't need to see his face to know that he was frowning.

"What's wrong, Ino… You've been crying." murmured a soothing masculine voice.

The blonde always thought that Shino had the most beautiful voice… it could melt honey with its tone.

Ino tried to brush off the concern she heard.

"Its okay, Shino. It's nothing – really." replied the young woman quietly.

He smiled wryly at that deliberate brush-off. "Ino, you _never_ cry over nothing."

Ino felt a small smile play at the corners of her lips.

_He was right – damn him! She should have realized by now that she could never try and pull a fast one on Shino. The man was too clever!_

"Ahh, Shino… you're right. There is something bothering me." sighed the young woman and continued, "I'm having personal problems."

The bug wielder frowned at that. "It's not Shikamaru again, is it?" he asked.

"Sort of…indirectly…" replied the blonde ambiguously.

"What do you mean, Ino?" came the cautious response.

-------------------------------------------

The blonde sighed silently. It was obvious that Shino wasn't going to let it go until he got some explanation.

"In a nutshell - I had a confrontation with Temari over Shikamaru at the flower shop the other day… She's paranoid that I'm still after her man."

Ino rubbed her tired eyes and noticed that his fingers were still gently resting along her jaw line. Shino immediately dropped his hand and looked away, spots of red showing on his high cheekbones behind the collar.

He cleared his throat and replied, "I see… and I'm guessing your continued single status hasn't helped the situation either, hn?"

Ino chuckled sadly in response, "Yeah, Shino… you could say that it's a problem."

She impulsively grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze then frowned slightly as a thought crossed her mind.

"Shino… why haven't _you_ found anyone?" she asked in a quiet voice.

She felt him shrug eloquently before replying, "Women find the bugs a turn off."

Ino turned sharply and looked closer at her companion. She had detected a bite in his tone as well as _hurt_? The blonde looked out into the field, unaccountably saddened by that revelation. It just seemed a shame that women would be scared away from a handsome guy like him because of his beetles.

"Shino, I'm sorry… I never realized." replied the young woman, stroking his hand idly, feeling the Kikai stir slightly under the surface.

She felt her companion stiffen and let out a low groan. Ino looked at Shino, startled by his reaction and pulled back her hand from his, blushing a deep scarlet before turning away.

_What was wrong with her? She'd never been like that around him before… There was a downside to being comfortable around someone. _

"Shino… I'm sorry…" began the young woman, feeling extremely foolish.

She heard what suspiciously sounded like a small chuckle come from the cloak. The young woman looked at him in mild surprise.

_She'd been hanging around this man for years and he rarely showed any sign of outward emotion…_

The blonde found that she really did like the sound of that rare laugh of his…

"Don't worry about it, Ino. There was no damage done…" replied the bug wielder and then he admitted sheepishly. "It was actually quite enjoyable."

Ino continued to look at the man in surprise. They had been meeting in this field for years and this was the first time he'd ever disclosed something like that to her.

The blonde leaned close to the bug wielder and placed her hand on top of his once more.

"Really? You don't mind?" questioned the young woman in a curious tone.

She was relieved to see a small smile appear on his lips as he shook his head slightly in reply.

"That's good to know… I find I enjoy touching you, Shino. Your beetles never have bothered me." murmured the blonde.

A comfortable silence settled in after that enlightening comment as the two of them sat beside each other with matching goofy smiles on their faces, hands clasped, enjoying the beauty of the daisy field until the twilight fell.

---------------------------

Sakura was totally fascinated by what she had been told so far and they hadn't even gotten to the juicy details yet! Shino had taken her forgotten bowl of ice cream and brought the rest of the bottle of wine out for Sakura.

The medic nin smiled in gratitude when the man refilled her glass and returned back to the blonde's side.

She never realized that Shino's romantic life prior to his involvement with Ino was that rotten!

_Sure, she really didn't like the bugs either but he was still a great guy… _

Sakura suddenly felt compelled to offer an apology to the man sitting on the sofa with her best friend.

"Shino… I'm sorry..." began the pink haired woman as she looked into her glass. "I never realized how awful things had been for you."

She looked up when she heard an odd sound come from the bug wielder.

_Did he just **chuckle**?__Shino had a sense of humor? Since when? Ino's influence must be rubbing off on him!_

"Sakura, there's no need for you to apologize. Everything turned out for the best." murmured Shino in reassurance.

The medic nin softly smiled at the couple on the couch and replied, "Yeah, it certainly looks like it did…"

Sakura noticed that the bug wielder had put his glasses back on and seemed to have made a recovery from the initial shock of Ino's surprise. Yes, Shino was back in control of his emotions but the pink-haired woman noted in amusement that he had returned to holding her friend's hand.

She took a sip from her wine glass and frowned in contemplation.

"What's wrong, Forehead Girl? Something seems to be bothering you."

Sakura glanced at Ino's concerned expression and said, "Ino-pig, why didn't you come to me with this? Temari could have hurt you!"

Shino continued to caress the blonde's hand as she sighed, "God… I wanted to tell you many times but I didn't want to get you involved or for it to get back to Shikamaru. Things were awkward enough between me and him without having to explain your involvement."

"Hmm, you have a point, Ino-pig." sighed the pinkette.

The medic nin shook her head in amazement.

She never realized that Shino was _the_ friend Ino-pig had been meeting in the daisy fields for years

Now that she thought about it – it kind of made sense that Ino's mystery friend would turn out to be the Kikaichuu master.

_Bugs and flowers went hand in hand, after all!_

Sakura was eager to hear more!

"So, when did you two decide to go beyond the hand-holding?"

She was shocked to see the little half smile appear on Shino's lips and was surprised to hear him take up the tale in that soothing tone of his.

"That little event happened two weeks later…"

-------------------------------

_Two weeks later – Things that go bump in the dark…_

Ino was having the most pleasant dream with her head comfortably propped in Shino's lap when she felt the first drop splash on her nose.

She felt Shino's elegant hand lift up mid stroke from his gentle caress on her hair and heard him sigh. "Ino, It's starting to rain… we need to get going."

_It looked like their perfect afternoon was going to be cut short on account of the weather…_

The blonde tamped down her disappointment and lifted her head from its spot in the bug wielder's lap. Shino pulled her gently to her feet just as the heavens opened up.

"Shino, we're going to get soaked!" wailed the woman in distress, "We need to find some shelter and wait out this storm."

She bent down to pick up the blanket and felt herself being scooped up in Shino's strong arms.

"Shino! W-what are you doing?" exclaimed the blonde, pushing at his arms and blushing furiously.

"Ino, you need to calm down… The rain is getting heavier… I need to get us out of the storm and I can't afford to run the risk of losing sight of you in this deluge!" murmured the Kikaichuu Master.

She pushed her drenched mane out of her face and squinted at him.

_He was right! The rain was getting harder!_

Shino draped the rapidly dampening blanket around Ino and dashed to the line of trees in front of him. He almost stumbled when he felt Ino's arms creep around his neck and her sweet breath near his ear. They just made to the trees before they saw the first lightning bolt streak the sky.

The kikaichuu master felt Ino jump a little at the lightning and thunder. He felt the tiny tremble go through her body that betrayed her fear of the storm.

"Shh, It's okay…" soothed the bug wielder, while he frantically scanned the area for the cave.

_He knew it was around here somewhere._

A larger bolt of lightning lit up the dark sky and he was able to see it, not far from their current location. Shino sent some of his beetles up ahead to ensure that there weren't any nasty surprises lurking in the depths before he ventured back out into the rain.

He felt the blonde starting to shiver, so he began to rub her back in a slow circular motion in an effort to warm her up. She heard Ino gasp near his ear at his touch that he almost dropped her. The Kikaichuu master was relieved when his beetles came back with good news.

"Ino, We'll be out of the rain soon… I promise. The beetles have scouted a vacant cave for us to wait out the storm."

Shino cradled the blonde's face against his chest as he made a mad dash to the shelter of the cave.

--------------------------

Shino placed the shivering woman gently on the ground and looked the cave. The narrow entrance way opened into a larger interior space that provided plenty of shelter for them.

He left some of his beetles to guard the entrance while he took Ino's hand and led her into the safety of the ante-chamber. The bug wielder found plenty of dry wood lying around and quickly built a small fire.

"Ino… we need to get out of these wet clothes." murmured Shino a little nervously.

The blonde quickly shook her head, flushing scarlet at the thought of the bug wielder scantily clad.

_She wasn't ready for **that**! They hadn't even kissed yet! _

"Ino – you're going to catch cold if you don't at least strip off your outer layer and dry off."

The young woman silently agreed with his logic. She didn't know why she had briefly thought he would take advantage of the situation in that way.

_She was being foolish._

He was right, of course. Shino always had her best interests at heart and this situation was no different.

She was about to reply when the words got stuck in her throat as she watched in stunned silence as Shino slowly peeled his sodden jacket off his shoulders.

The man was built like a greyhound – not an ounce of fat anywhere.

She could see that while he wasn't a large man, he was all caged muscle and wiry sinew.

Ino stripped off her top oddly flustered - all coherent thoughts taking flight at seeing the quiet power his body hinted at, in front of her for the first time. She was surprised to feel a soft garment being pressed into her hand. She looked down to see that it was Shino's soft under-shirt.

The blonde heard him murmur, "Why don't you wear this while your clothes dry out? I think you will be more comfortable."

Ino's eyes traveled up his revealed chest to the Kikaichuu master's face and found herself looking directly into Shino's eyes. She was surprised to see that he had removed his glasses.

The blonde stepped closer and raised a hand to touch his face in wonderment.

"Shino, why do you hide your eyes behind glasses? They're beautiful!"

Shino placed his hand on top of hers, enjoying the sensation of her touch on his skin.

"It's the Kikai beetles… too much light irritates them."

Ino wasn't really listening; she was too mesmerized by his firm lips. She felt the shirt drop at her feet as she raised her fingertips of her other hand to lightly brush his mouth. Ino watched him close his eyes, trembling a little at her touch before snapping them open again. She gasped when she saw the desire blazing in the depths. The blonde felt herself being hauled up against that lean powerful body before his lips swooped down to claim hers. It was a gentle tentative exploration that swiftly blazed into a scorching kiss that she felt down to her toes and deep in her soul.

Shino abruptly stopped kissing her, embarrassed at his sudden lack of control and turned his head, so his chin was resting on her shoulder.

"Ino, I'm sorry. I rarely lose control like that but I couldn't help myself - I've wanted to kiss you for a while now." murmured Shino quietly into the blonde woman's ear.

Ino felt something deep inside her stir at his softly spoken confession. It was the sweetest thing a man had ever admitted to her. She couldn't find adequate words to express that she wasn't offended by his spontaneity, so she showed him instead.

The young woman's fingers crept into his hair, tangling in the dark mane and pulled his lips back to hers. He groaned softly into her mouth, deepening the kiss and lightly stroked the roof of her mouth with his tongue. Her eyes widened in a mixture of shock and delight at Shino's skill. Ino moaned her encouragement back, silently begging him not to stop what he was doing anytime soon.

He continued to kiss her as he gathered her close and carried over to the nearest wall. Shino sat down carefully and arranged her legs so that she was now straddling his waist.

They stayed there in a tangle of limbs, gently touching and exploring each other's bodies, whispering impassioned words of endearment to each other until the storm finally released its hold on the sky three hours later.

---------------------------

A small tear streaked down the pinkette's face as she listened enthralled to Shino's voice. She took a small sip of her wine to steady her nerves and thought wistfully that was by far the most romantic, spontaneous first kiss story she'd ever heard. She now understood why he had to tell this part. It was obvious to her now that _his_ first kiss had certainly left quite the impression on him.

_Shino, you are such a dark horse! _

_Hell, if I had an experience like that – I wouldn't be forgetting it anytime soon either!_

_No wonder you wanted to be the one to tell that part of the story… it's probably the only time you've had a chance to talk about it._

_There's no way in Hades this little tale will ever make it into the light of day though… _

_Thank Kami, because no one would ever believe this in a million years!_

The medic nin looked over to her friend, her face aglow from the latest installment of the story.

_Lucky, lucky Ino-pig!_

_I'd be glowing like that too if I got stuck in a cave on a rainy day and spent three hours sucking face with a hot guy!_

"Ino-pig… how the hell did you keep something like that under wraps?" asked Sakura extremely impressed with her two friends' resourcefulness.

"Ahh, Forehead Girl – I have you to thank for that!" replied the blonde smugly.

Sakura was now confused about her role in this. She took a sip of her wine and asked, "I'm confused, Ino-pig… how did I help out?"

The blonde flushed, suddenly embarrassed as she muttered, "I needed an excuse for my prolonged disappearances…"

The medic nin wrinkled her brow and thought for a moment before gasping, "No way! You mean for all the times you disappeared for hours at a time, I was your cover!"

Ino was a little chagrinned by Sakura's hurt tone and was about to apologize for abusing their friendship like that when she heard her pink haired friend laughing.

"Hell, Ino-pig… I'm glad that I could be of some assistance in your quest for happiness!" Sakura shook her head, greatly amused with the whole situation.

She heard Ino clear her throat nervously and reply, "Yeah, well… you are a greater friend than you truly realize…"

The pink haired woman took a sip of her white wine, letting the flavor roll around her tongue before swallowing.

She could barely contain her excitement now… the best part of the story was finally going to be revealed.

Ino turned to the tall elegant man sitting next to her, still idly stroking her hand and said, "Sweetheart, could you go and get us something to eat?"

Shino raised her hand and kissed the top and asked, "Anything in particular?"

Ino looked over at her friend sitting on the matching couch. "Forehead Girl - does sushi and rice balls work for you?"

Sakura nodded and replied, "That sounds great… as long as it's not Ramen!"

The couple on the sofa smiled knowingly at that comment and Shino got up to leave.

Shino leaned down and whispered something in Ino's ear, placing a kikai on her collar bone.

The medic nin was mildly taken aback by the sight of the little beetle in the hollow of her friend's neck of all places but it spoke volumes to her of the level of commitment these two had for each other.

It was common knowledge that the Aburame Clan held the kikai in reverence… and for a member to willingly part with one of them, clearly spoke of the respect and devotion they had for the recipient of the little beetle.

Sakura mentally shook her head and sighed deeply to herself.

_Ino really needed some common sense slapped into her some days… You honestly couldn't tell this man had it bad for you? _

They waited for the kikaichuu master to put his jacket back on and adjust the hood before they heard the quiet click of the door closing behind him.

"So, Ino-pig… does this have anything to do with what happened four months ago when the entire male population of Konoha came to a standstill as you walked by?" asked Sakura in a suspiciously innocent tone.

Ino felt her face go red in mortification, "Oh kami… Are you serious!"

The medic nin nodded, "Serious as a heart-attack, Ino-pig. Okay, I want details because Shino had every man wishing they were in his place that day… and I do mean every man"

Ino's eyes widened at that comment. "Oh… shit."

The blonde looked at her friend's eager face and grudgingly started her tale…

"You are lucky that you're my best friend, Forehead Girl! Kami knows, I certainly owe you big time for not asking any questions all these months…"

----------------------

_Four Months Ago – Paradise and beyond…_

Ino finished laying out her tartan blanket in the daisy field, finally satisfied that she got all the wrinkles out of the surface. The blonde was about to stand up when two sinewy arms snaked around her waist. Ino let out a squeak as she felt herself pulled up against a tall and lean frame.

She heard a honeyed tone near her ear ask, "Did you miss me, sweet Ino?"

The blonde's eyes widened at that voice and she twisted around in his arms to loop her own limbs around his neck.

"Shino! You're back! I did miss you, you silly man… you've been gone for two weeks!" exclaimed the young woman in obvious delight.

"Two weeks, three days, seven hours and eleven minutes… but who's really keeping track?" came the low voice from behind the high collar, a hint of amusement apparent behind the generally serious tone.

Ino reached up and pulled down the high collar as the bug wielder bent down to claim the blonde's kisses.

The gentle kiss got hotter in seconds as Ino's slipped her tongue into the honeyed cavern of the man's mouth, hearing his tortured moan. She grinned wickedly as Shino slid his hands down her hips and under her buttocks, giving them a soft squeeze. Ino groaned into his mouth as she felt herself gliding up his torso. She entwined her legs around his waist and felt the kisses get scorching. The blonde pushed the kikaichuu master's hood off his hair, being careful to not dislodge his sunglasses in the process and buried her fingers in dark mass.

Shino was having a tough time keeping his hormones under check as he felt the blonde clinging to his chest and her long fingers in his hair. The bug wielder managed to pull away slightly and took the opportunity to draw a calming breath into his lungs before looking tenderly down at the woman in his arms.

He heard Ino groaning in disappointment into his neck and chuckled softly, "What's wrong, Ino?"

The blonde looked up and glared when she heard his rare laugh.

_This was no time to be amused! She was suffering here and it was **his entire** fault! _

"Shino… why did you stop just when things were getting interesting!" grouched the young woman. He felt the corners of his lips turn up at her comment. Shino pulled down his glasses slightly and looked into his girlfriend's piercing blue eyes.

"Sweetheart, I'm all for continuing this particular discussion somewhere else but I have no intention of stopping this time." replied the kikaichuu master in a sultry voice.

Ino's eyes widened as realization set in.

_Whoa! Did he mean what **she** thought he was suggesting?_

Even now, he was still giving her the opportunity to walk away before it went to the point of no return.

"Are you serious, Shino?" asked the blonde, trying to keep herself from swooning at the perverted images flooding her mind.

She saw him raise an eyebrow and reply, "Very, Ino. I'm not going to push you. You say the word and I will continue where we left off."

The blonde didn't need to think twice about her decision. She never needed a man as much as he needed Shino.

Ino licked her suddenly dry lips and uttered one word, "Where?"

-------------------------

They had been walking for a while when the kikaichuu master finally stopped. Ino wasn't familiar with this part of Konoha. She looked around the surrounding countryside – it was very beautiful here.

"Where are we, Shino?" asked the blonde in hushed tones, staring at the small little cabin on the ridge ahead of them.

"We're on Aburame land, sweetheart…" came the equally soft response.

_Oh my god!_ _No wonder she didn't know where she was! No one was allowed out here without the permission of the Aburame Clan... which meant only one thing…_

Ino looked up at the young man in shock. "Your father knows about us, Shino?"

She heard the slight smile in his voice behind her as she felt his arms wrap around her. "Honey, it's kind of hard to keep many secrets from my perverted father, especially if you factor in the kikai beetles…"

"Uh, what did he say?" Ino asked hesitantly.

Shino frowned when he heard the worry in her voice. He lifted up one of his hands to stroke the side of her face while he continued to look out over the valley below them. "He's pleased with my choice. He's looking forward to meeting you when the time comes."

He wasn't about to tell her that his father had also been thrilled to hear that his only child wouldn't die a virgin! In fact, he'd been more than happy to let him have the keys to the cabin!

"Do you want to see the cabin?" asked the masculine voice huskily near Ino's ear.

Ino turned slightly and place her hand on his, smiling up into his face.

"I'd love to see it!" she replied with a sultry tone in her voice.

-------------------------

Shino frowned slightly to find the door unlocked. He couldn't shake the feeling that he detected his father's meddling hand in all of this.

He slid open the door and looped an arm over his girlfriend's shoulder as he allowed her to enter cabin first. The gentle scent of lilac perfumed the air and a light breeze drifted in from the open windows, ruffling the white curtains hanging at the windows.

Shino felt his heart warm as he took in the beauty of the room. Someone had replaced the plain sheets he'd put on the bed with fine cotton ones embroidered with delicate Kikai beetles and scattered some of the daisy petals over the entire bed. For the first time in his life, Shino felt overwhelmed with emotion.

_It seemed that his father had been a busy man in his absence!_

"Oh Shino… this place is beautiful!" sighed Ino breathlessly.

He felt Ino slip away to explore the room, occasionally hearing her exclaim in delight over the cabin.

Shino gave a small smile when he heard her say, "Oh my goodness, Shino… there's daisies floating in the tub! How romantic!"

The bug wielder slid the door closed and walked over to the bed. He sat down on the edge, still slightly shaking his head. Shino didn't know why his father went to this much effort to impress Ino but he was secretly grateful.

"Shino, the water is heavenly… it's still warm! Do you mind if I take advantage of it?"

_I really need to thank my father later._

"Sure, sweetheart… go ahead." Replied the bug wielder frowning slightly as he spied the kikai bug flit through the open window.

He held out his finger for it but the destruction beetle flew past and landed on the handle of a small basket sitting nearby.

Shino leaned down and retrieved the basket and watched his father's little insect helper fly back out the window back to his host.

He picked up an envelope with his father's familiar scrawl sitting on top and opened it.

_Brat-Son,_

_I figured you needed some help in your wooing. The rest is up to you now._

_I wish your mother could have been here to see this day…_

_Good luck, son._

_Love_

_Your father._

Shino felt the corners of his lips pull up into a small smile. Normally his father delighted in making his life a living hell with his teasing. It seemed that the old beetle nest was capable of being compassionate… then he read his father's post script.

_PS – You'll probably be needing what's in the basket… have fun, son!_

Shino looked into the basket and felt the blood rush into his face from behind his collar.

The basket was filled with condoms…

_Yes, he really needed to thank his father later… right after he beat the daylights out of the man!_

-----------------------

The blonde was in heaven. The bath water was the perfect temperature and there was even a bottle of her favorite bubble bath. Ino closed her eyes, blissfully sinking deeper into the welcoming warmth of the water.

She felt a hand trailing along one of her arms, gently rippling the surface of the bath before she heard the husky voice ask, "Do you need someone to scrub your back?"

"Hmm… that would be wonderful, Shino." sighed the blonde.

She had piled her blonde locks atop of her head in a hasty bun, her eyes were still closed in bliss and a soft smile played along her lips. The bug wielder looked down at her naked beauty, partially hidden by the foam. She never looked more beautiful to him than she did in that moment.

Ino was drifting in a state of total relaxation when her ears caught the whisper of fabric dropping to the floor. The blonde snapped open her vibrant blue eyes, only to stare in wonder at the vision of Shino's divine naked form sliding into the tub with her.

_Damn! He was gorgeous!_ _How the hell did she get so lucky? _

Ino sat up straight, a little startled by having the bug wielder's company.

"Shino…" began the blonde, only to forget what she was about to say under the onslaught of his heated gaze. Ino felt breathless, staring directly into those mysterious silvery eyes of his.

"Shhh…" murmured the young man, his finger lightly touching her lips.

He leaned forward and moved his finger to make way for his mouth. The blonde leaned into the kiss, wrapping a soapy arm around his neck. She could feel his hand cradling her cheek before sliding down to her neck. Ino felt herself been shifted onto his lap as he deepened his kiss. The contact of her bare soapy flesh against his broad chest made her give out a small moan.

_He felt so warm and smooth…_ _just like that time they got caught in the rain._

She could hear Shino's answering groan and was surprised to feel herself reacting from the sound of his obvious enjoyment.

Ino felt his lips leave hers and was about to complain when he started nibbling down the side of her neck before nipping the base of her neck.

"Oh kami, Shino… that feels incredible!" gasped Ino, digging her nails into his shoulder blades.

The blonde's head fell backwards, allowing the Kikaichuu wielder more access. He continued his exploration of her body at a leisurely pace, one hand trailing up the side of her torso before finally cupping one full breast.

Shino pulled her higher onto his lap and drew the erect nipple into his mouth, sucking it softly but firmly. He felt her nails bite deeper into his flesh as he heard her cry his name out in passion. He stroked her back in soothing circular patterns as he transferred his attentions to the second breast.

_It was terrible! She had this tight curling knot in her stomach that was aching to break loose!_

The bath water sloshed over the sides as the blonde ground her hips suggestively against the man underneath her. Shino groaned harshly when she pushed herself up against his noticeable erection. Ino leaned forward and delicately licked the shell of his ear.

_She couldn't stand it! She needed Shino to take away this craving she had…_

The bug wielder felt his heart stop when Ino looked directly at him with passion laden eyes and begged him to take her.

_He had to admit – watching Ino thrashing around wildly and crying out his name was a rather… life altering experience._

Shino as much as he was sorely tempted… really didn't want to take the woman who had laid claim to his heart and soul in the bathtub… not for their first time as lovers in the truest sense. There was always plenty of time to explore the joys of the bathtub at a later date…

Ino felt him pull away and step out of the tub. She was about to protest him leaving her there when she was hauled out of the water and into his waiting arms. She felt a towel being draped over her wet body as Shino looked down into her intense blue eyes, glazed over with longing.

He cradled her head against his shoulder and almost dropped her when he felt the scraping of her small teeth along his neck. Shino stopped walking, as he could feel his Kikai humming in excitement from the sensation. The beetles loved what she was doing to them and so did he. He briefly closed his eyes and fought for regain control over his body and his beetles.

It was a revelation… Aburame were renowned for their control and he was losing his over a woman!

He looked down at the blonde in his arms and his silvery eyes narrowed, promising her erotic retribution.

Ino grinned wickedly at that look. She could hardly wait!

This was a side of Shino she'd never seen before but she had a feeling that she would be seeing more of it in the future. It was oddly exciting to know that she alone was capable of causing this kind of reaction in the reserved male.

Shino breathed a sigh of relief as they finally reached the bed. He laid her gently down amongst the daisy petals, her blonde locks still twisted in an untidy knot on top of her head, surrounded by a sea of twinkling embroidered Kikai beetles. She never looked more alluring than she did in that moment.

Ino dragged him down onto the bed, hooking an arm firmly around his neck. Her pink tongue darted out and licked his bottom lip as one of her hands trailed up his leg before gently squeezing his firm buttocks.

"Sweetheart, please…" groaned the bug wielder. "We need to slow down a little… I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't want to slow down, Shino." murmured the blonde in a husky voice. "I need you now!"

Ino's natural boldness wasn't helping him!

He felt the hand that had been lightly kneading his bottom travel around to the front and grab hold of something else.

Shino wasn't capable of stringing a sentence together at this point, let alone thinking!

And yet, he still held back… This wasn't a casual thing for him and she'd always known that about him.

"Honey, you sure of this?" asked the bug wielder, giving her one last chance.

"Shino!" growled Ino.

She trailed her lips down his neck and bit him before soothing the spot with the gentle caress of her tongue.

He groaned softly in frustration as he felt his Kikai humming and thrashing around inside in excitement from her biting him, yet again. Ino certainly wasn't helping him with his resolve to take it slow!

She gasped in delighted shock when she felt Shino grab her wandering hands and held them above her head, further elongating her body and allowing him greater access to her carnal delights.

"Patience, sweet Ino… Don't be so greedy!" murmured Shino in a husky voice.

The gasp turned to a moan as she felt his firm lips travel down the taut column of her neck and torturously wandering down to her heaving breasts.

Ino closed her eyes and lightly bit her bottom lip as she felt her boyfriend's other hand slide down her arm, the curve of her hip, finally to rest at the cradle of her thighs.

She restlessly moved her hips and legs in silent invitation as his lips paid homage to first one breast and then the other, giving special attention to her erect nipples with the tip of his tongue before drawing them into his waiting mouth with a gentle suction.

Ino felt her back arching in response to Shino's administrations and jerked at his hand, holding hers in place above her head. She so badly wanted to touch him back and show him how much she was enjoying what he was doing to her.

"Shino, please… I want to touch you too…" begged the blonde sweetly, only to have the stubborn male in charge of this divine torture shake his head, causing a slight tugging sensation on the nipple still captured in the man's mouth.

He was determined to control the pace for this first time but he wasn't above giving her something else to distract her attention…

Ino's eyes snapped wide open when she felt his hand slip through her nest of curls to slide into her silken folds. He drew back slightly, blowing gently on her wet and erect nipples, causing her to squirm even more. She couldn't resist giving him a sultry smile before closing her eyes again when pleasure shafted through her as she felt one of his long fingers penetrate her.

Shino watched her body buckle as his finger slid into her and it was a total turn on for him.

He was concerned though – she was incredibly tight around the finger inside her body right now and what he planned on sliding into her silken warmth later was a lot bigger!

He slipped another finger into her slowly stretching her, watching her groan and arch even more from his ministrations.

"Honey, am I hurting you?" murmured Shino in a concerned voice.

Her eyes snapped open, glazed over with desire, passion and something else… He wasn't sure what it was but it tugged at his heart strings.

"Don't you _dare_ stop, bug boy!"

He smiled softly, reaching up to place a gentle kiss on her parted lips before replying, "No, Ino… I wouldn't dream of stopping now."

Shino gave her a small smile and moved his fingers a little faster in and out of her heated cavern. He returned back to his spot at her breasts, increasing the pressure of his suckling and soon heard her mewling his name, begging him to release her hands from his grip. He couldn't resist her impassioned pleas and let her hands loose from their prison. He soon felt the arousing bite of her nails as they raked across his back. Shino could feel her muscles tighten around his fingers, sucking them deeper into her as her juices dripped onto his hand.

Her obvious arousal was driving him crazy!

Shino felt quiet satisfaction knowing that he alone had brought her to this point. His thumb circled her hard peak of pulsating pleasure, rubbing firmly.

He felt her suddenly let go of her grip on his back to fist the sheets, her body arching completely off the bed, her head thrashing from side to side and his name keening hoarsely from her lips as she gave into a soul-wrenching orgasm. Shino felt his heart stutter as he watched her slowly subside to light little tremors. Shino gently slid his fingers out of her and moved to the side of the bed to retrieve an item from the small basket.

"Shinooo… No, don't leave…" murmured the still trembling blonde brokenly.

He finished his preparations and turned back to the enticing vixen stretched out like a pagan offering on the bed.

"Shhh, sweetheart… I'm not going to leave you." crooned the bug wielder, lightly stroking her upturned face with an outstretched hand.

"This is only just the beginning… there's still more." chuckled the soft voice.

He kneeled between her parted legs and couldn't resist stroking the sensitive woman down the sides of her torso with delicate fingertips. Shino watched her tremble in pleasure before he tilted her hips towards him and pushed slowly into her body in a smooth, firm stroke. He felt her body slowly stretch at his penetration and heard her let out a shaky gasp. The bug wielder gathered the blonde enchantress closer and trailed the back of one hand over one of her cheeks, giving her time to adjust to him. She was incredibly tight and he was still worried about hurting her.

"Did I hurt you, sweetheart? Do you want me to stop?" asked Shino in a worried tone.

_He really didn't want to stop but if she was in pain… well, he wasn't going to continue._ Ino shook her head quickly, lifting one of her legs and gasping as she felt Shino slide deeper into her body. The bug wielder felt her body relax in allow for deeper penetration and he groaned in shocked delight.

_My god, she felt soo good!_

"I-I do? Well, you feel incredible from my end too, Shino!" chuckled the blonde shyly as she tentatively moved again.

Shino was feeling a little embarrassed that he said that last thought out loud but he was secretly pleased that she was enjoying his attention.

He was incapable of further thought as he felt her move again. He didn't need anymore hints that she wanted more from him. He started a gentle rhythm that slowly escalated to deliciously hard pounding. He was planning to be gentle but Ino was having none of that!

She was begging him to take her harder and higher with every thrust.

He found himself getting more aggressive and aroused with every whispered request and entreaty that fell from her parted lips. It was a total turn on for the normally reserved man.

Shino felt her tighten up on his hard length as he continued to drive into her hard and deep. She climaxed forcefully, screaming his name. His hands slid up her slick body, supporting her as she leaned back in orgasmic ecstasy. She trembled from her orgasm and his continued thrusting.

Ino stared with passion glazed eyes up at Shino in wonderment as she felt herself climbing towards another orgasm.

"_Good Lord, was that even possible?"_ thought the young woman.

Apparently, it was…

She was a little hoarse from her impassioned screaming but he made her feel so _fucking incredibly_ good! He was going faster now but Ino was matching her lover's pace every inch of the way.

She screamed out in delight again, writhing under the bug wielder as she climaxed yet again in his arms.

Shino gathered her sweat-soaked body and thrust into her welcoming warmth a couple more times before he arched his back, groaning her name in a reverent tone as he achieved perfection in her arms.

He collapsed on top of her, raining gentle kisses on her collar bone and jaw-line as he whispered sweet nothings to her. Shino gently slipped out of her welcoming warmth and laid down beside her, lightly stroking her face.

Ino turned towards him and trailed a hand down one of his arms in awe. A soft smile of contentment stayed on her lips as she kept lightly stroking Shino's arm, feeling the occasional ripple and low hum from the now drowsy Kikai.

He gently shifted them to tug the sheet free and draped it over their slick bodies to ward off the chill as they lay there in the afterglow of the moment, now feeling a cool breeze drift in through the open kitchen window.

Ino felt her heartbeat slowly go back to a normal pace and finally noticed little flickers of color in the room as Shino pulled her into his arms. The bug wielder kissed her shoulder in hushed reverence, knowing he would cherish this woman for the rest of his life.

"Oh Shino! They're beautiful!" whispered the blonde woman, gently stroking the stray strands of hair out of her lover's eyes.

The couple looked up at the ceiling and saw that the room was filled with butterflies.

------------------------

"Oh my god, Ino… He made you orgasm three times!" gasped Sakura, deeply in awe.

_Wow… Who knew Shino was such a stud!_

_It really was the quiet ones you had to watch out for…_

The pinkette took a sip of her white wine and watched in curiosity as her friend blushed scarlet and mumbled, "Actually, Forehead Girl, I came two more times before I finally left that little Aburame love nest in the mountains…"

Sakura choked on her wine at her friend's little disclosure.

_No wonder men wanted to be him that day! Shino had **totally** rocked Ino-pig's world and then some!_

Sakura shook her head in amazement at her friend. The blonde frowned slightly when she saw her companion's gesture and asked, "Forehead Girl, what's wrong?"

"Ino-pig, you can be real dense sometimes. I think you were already in love with bug-boy but didn't figure it out until much later."

The blonde flushed guiltily and replied, "Well, I don't have a lot of luck figuring out guys. I guess it took a while to convince myself that Shino was a decent guy."

Sakura took another sip of her wine and replied, "I noticed bug-boy was very relieved to hear your news…"

Ino looked a little chagrinned, "Well, yeah – I noticed that as well. I've been confused and stressing about what Shino would say for the past two weeks, that I never considered that he would be overjoyed at the prospect of being a father."

"Ino! Why didn't you tell Shino your concerns? You've probably had him worried all this time!" gasped the pinkette.

"Oh Forehead Girl, I know… I was letting the panic over-rule my common sense and I realize now, that was the wrong thing to do." sighed the blonde sadly.

Sakura frowned as a thought occurred to her, "You mentioned that you two used protection, Ino-pig… Is there something you're not telling me?"

The pink haired woman had an unholy grin on her face when Ino blushing furiously mumbled, "Well, there was that little episode in the bathtub later…"

Sakura chuckled in delight, "Ahhh – this is where the two orgasms came into it, hmm?"

Ino flushed scarlet once more and nodded in reply.

The pink-haired woman grinned at her friend and exclaimed, "Well, that story has made me work up quite an appetite myself. You better call bug-boy back because I'm starving!"

Ino chuckled softly and raised a finger to retrieve the Kikai bug on her collar bone.

Sakura was amazed to watch the bug climb onto her finger and watched in shock when she heard Ino murmur, "You heard her, Rex… go get him!"

The pink-haired woman laughed in amazement as she watched the kikai flit out the window to retrieve its master, "You gave names to his beetles!"

The medic nin dissolved into laughter once more.

_Trust Ino to be able to adapt in such a way…_

"Not all of them – just two of them!" came the slightly miffed response.

Sakura stared for a moment in stunned silence before both women collapsed in their seats, laughing even harder.

Poor Shino… If he wasn't so calm and level-headed all the time, she would be seriously worried about the poor man's sanity for wanting to deal with Ino on a regular basis.


	3. Shaking the Family Tree

**Author's Note:**

Emiko is an original character that I developed for the sole purpose of giving the story a little more depth.

The story is dedicated to **Deserter** who enjoys a good tale with a lot of drama… I hope I was able to deliver that in this chapter and more… enjoy.

This is the raw chapter and is subject to revision at a later date.

Read always - review at your leisure.

A sentence in _Italics_ denotes the private thoughts of a character.

**Disclaimer:** I sadly do not own Naruto, nor do I profit it from it, which is a good thing because Kakashi would be doing stripper-grams on his days off. Enjoy, beautiful people, enjoy.

_I need your grace  
To remind me  
To find my own _

If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told  
Before we get too old  
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am  
All that I ever was  
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

_Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol_

**Chapter Three – Shaking the Family Tree**

Sakura took a final sip from her now empty wine glass and looked over her friend in quiet contemplation. "When do you plan on informing the prospective grandparents of the news?" asked the pink-haired woman in a quiet voice.

"Well, I can't put it off for too long but I'm thinking in the next couple of days or so. Shino and I need to sit down and have a talk first." sighed Ino.

The pinkette nodded in agreement. This pregnancy certainly changed things between the young couple. She knew Shino would be more than willing to put a ring on her friend's finger in a heartbeat but it was obvious that Ino was still nursing some deep emotional scars from her disastrous relationship with Shikamaru. Sakura sighed silently to herself. While Shino respected the fact that his lover still needed time to heal, the medic nin knew that the respective clans were going to be none too thrilled with Ino's decision to not get married in her current condition.

_Yes – the shit was going to hit the wall in a big way!_

Sakura scooted over to sit closer to her blonde friend and gently clasped her hand.

"Ino-pig, if you and bug-boy ever need help or support… I will be there for you two," whispered the pinkette.

Ino felt tears sting the back of her eyes at her friend's offer and nodded softly in reply – overwhelmed with the offer. The young woman secretly knew that she was going to meet with some staunch opposition from her family at the very least over her decision to not marry in the immediate future.

Ino glanced over at the daisies with hooded eyes.

She loved Shino deeply and unconditionally but she wasn't ready to make that commitment yet. Shino bless his handsome and reserved hide, understood her fears and wasn't pushing.

"Forehead Girl… thank you," croaked the blonde, her voice cracking with emotion.

Both women looked up when they heard the gentle click of the door unlocking and saw Shino step hesitantly through the door.

"Ino, you okay?" asked the bug wielder concerned at the odd brightness he saw in her eyes.

Ino cleared her throat and replied, "Sweetheart, I'm fine. Why don't you close the door and take the food into the kitchen. We can eat in there."

Sakura watched the tall man walk into the kitchen and suddenly remembered something she wanted to ask her friend. "Ino-pig, I'm curious… what did Shino say to you before he left to get food?" whispered Sakura into her friend's ear.

She was surprised to see Ino give her a cheeky grin. "Oh that! He told me while he was relieved to hear that I loved him, he was still going to have a little chat with me later about my stubbornness."

Sakura grinned at that comment. _Ino met her match with her Kikai lover._

-------------------------------

The trio sat down to a wonderful meal filled with good food and lots of laughter. Sakura had been pretty surprised at the side of Shino that was revealed at dinner.

He was witty, charming and rather intelligent. It was also obvious he was head over heels in love with her best friend in the way he kept touching her hand tenderly whenever he thought Sakura wasn't looking. She felt like a third wheel watching these two expressed their devotion to each other in little glances and small smiles. They looked so happy and the pink haired woman was pleased to see a man make her friend smile like that when that smile had been absent for such a long time…

The medic nin was reluctant to say goodnight to the two young lovers but knew that she needed to get up bright and early for her shift at the hospital.

Shino stood nearby as Ino walked the pink-haired woman to the door.

"Ino-pig, give me a call when you two are ready to come in for a follow up appointment, okay?" murmured the medic nin, touching her friend's arm lightly.

Ino nodded in response. She felt Shino's arms wrap around her in mute understanding of her emotional state. Sakura smiled softly at the two of them standing together and murmured before finally leaving, "Bug-boy, make sure Ino-pig takes her pre-natal vitamins, okay?"

He couldn't help but smile at that and nodded in reply.

Shino felt his lover pull away and walk over to lock the door.

The bug wielder shoved his hands in his pockets and waited for her to return. He jumped a little when he felt her arms slide under his jacket. He felt her lay her cheek against his broad back. "Shino… I'm sorry that I didn't tell you my concerns. I was scared that you would reject me when you found out… and I'm sorry for thinking that," murmured the blonde brokenly.

Ino could feel the Kikai buzzing and his heartbeat thumping erratically before he turned around to face his lover.

"Sweetheart, never hide something like this from me again… I was worried that you didn't want me anymore and you were planning to leave me." replied the bug wielder, his voice cracking slightly from suppressed emotion.

Ino pulled away from him and covered her face with her hands, horrified by the conclusion her lover had come to over her strange behavior in the past two weeks.

_Oh god! He had been worried that she didn't want him… she never considered how her actions would be interpreted…_

Ino took a calming breath and removed her hands from her face. One hand reached up and carefully removed his glasses. She saw his eyes shining with deeply rooted emotions simmering just below the surface and knew he was upset.

"Oh kami, Shino… I never realized you were thinking _that_! I-I do love you dearly. I don't know what I would do if I lost you…" whispered the young woman now openly crying.

"Shhh… sweetheart. its okay." crooned the bug wielder in a soothing voice, his kikai beetles buzzing loudly and betraying his unease over the sight of her tears.

Shino scooped his lover up into his arms and took her back to the bedroom. He switched on the soft lighting and tenderly laid her on the bed. He knelt down, removing his jacket and stretched out on the bed beside _his_ woman.

He touched her face lightly, cradling her against his lean form and softly asked the one question that had been nagging him since he found out his impending fatherhood. "Ino – sweetheart, I need to know… how do you feel about this pregnancy?"

Ino's eyes opened wide in surprise, the blue irises shining brightly in the soft glow.

"Oh, Shino… I'm thrilled. I know it wasn't something we planned…but…I want our children… I just didn't know that you wanted them too." whispered the blonde in a sad voice.

He sighed, a little relieved hearing her obvious delight over her pregnancy.

_That was good news, at least… knowing that she was happy being pregnant and she loved him… it was certainly going to make the rest of what they needed to discuss easier to deal with… _

"Sweetheart, I know we have a few things we need to sort out before we tell our families but I wanted to give you something first…" murmured the bug wielder. He'd been carrying it around for a while now, trying to pick the right time to give it to her and now seemed like a better moment than any...

Ino frowned in confusion as she saw him shove a hand in his pocket and fish out a box.

He gently placed the box into one of her hands and softly said, "Ino, I know you're not ready for that level of commitment but I still wanted to give you a token to reflect the love I have for you in my heart."

She opened the box up with trembling fingers and was stunned by what she found.

The scarlet enameled lady-bug hung suspended on a fine white gold chain. The little black dots were chips of onyx and the eyes were little diamonds.

_It was most beautiful thing she'd ever seen or received. She knew she was going to cry!_

"Shino, it's so beautiful!" whispered the blonde in an awed voice.

One finger lovingly touched the beetle as a lone tear finally streaked down her cheek.

Shino leaned forward and traced the path of the tear with his tongue. The blonde gasped at the contact and reached out with the other hand to pull him closer.

"Do you want me to put it on for you?" whispered the bug wielder urgently.

"Only if you promise to make love to me afterwards…" replied the blonde.

The Kikai master groaned and gently retrieved the box from his lover's hand. He removed the necklace with a small tremor in his hands and carefully hooked it into place.

The delicate chain caressed her neck as the little bug settled in the hollow between her breasts.

It was a deceptively simple pendant, and yet it eloquently made a statement that she was cherished.

"Sweet Ino, we will continue our conversation afterwards…" groaned the bug wielder as she captured his lips.

-------------------------

Ino laid in the shelter of his arms, feeling his breath tickling her neck as he gently nibbled on her collarbone. It always amazed her how someone so outwardly calm like Shino could unleash his passion with the same force of a summer tempest.

She heard him sigh sadly and knew that he was making good on his promise to continue their conversation.

"Ino – you know our clans aren't going to be thrilled with the idea that you're not ready to marry me right away… there's going to be talk. Are you prepared for that?" murmured Shino against her shoulder. He continued to tenderly caress her belly with soft strokes.

The blonde sighed sadly, "Yes, Shino… I know. My father is especially not going to like it but there's not much he can do about it…"

"Actually, sweetheart… I have given that a great deal of thought as well as taking into consideration the fact that we need to figure out what to do about the living situation." murmured the bug wielder.

Ino looked over her shoulder at her lover, "Really? Do tell, Shino… What have you come up with?"

She saw her boyfriend give her a rare half smile and knew that he'd come up with a feasible plan that would work for the interim.

"Sweetheart, my family has a special requirement for anyone wishing to enter into a union with a clan member."

Ino's eyes widened in shock and gratitude as she realized what he was saying. She licked her lips to ease the dryness and asked breathlessly, "What's the requirement?"

"We have to live together under the one roof for six months…" replied the bug wielder hesitantly then continued, "Ino, I don't know how much time you need but I do know that will take the pressure off us for a while."

Ino stared at her bug wielding lover in shock, suddenly overwhelmed by the feelings she had for this man beside her.

_While there was a sense of urgency about their situation, he still understood her private fears and was trying not to pressure her into a decision she wasn't ready to make._

She closed her eyes in relief and felt the tears coursing down her cheeks. Ino could feel her lover tense up from her reaction. She opened her eyes in understanding and quickly turned in his arms to touch his face in a tender caress, feeling him vibrate slightly from the contact and the agitated Kikai within him.

"You're wrong, Shino… I really do want to marry you but I wasn't expecting you to give me this much time." Murmured Ino brokenly, feeling the vibrations get stronger under the man's skin.

"Y-you do? Really? Are you serious, sweetheart?" asked Shino in a shocked voice.

She could feel him trembling now from the effort to keep his beetles in check and knew that was the last thing he was expecting to hear from her. Ino reached up and licked his bottom lip and watched him groan from the contact.

"Yes, my sweet Kikai lover… I'm serious." Whispered the blonde… "You'll be the first person to know when I'm ready, I promise…"

He pulled her close to him and that's when she felt them on her shoulder… tears.

-------------------------

Shino had gone home a short while after their chat to let Ino have some much needed sleep. It was clear that she was exhausted from the emotional stress of keeping this secret for so long and he knew that sleep would be the last thing she would get if he spent the night with her…

He managed to corner his father in the kitchen this morning with the news that he needed to have a chat with him later and he was bringing someone home to meet him.

Shino had been secretly relieved when his father mentioned casually whether this someone was aware of the six month requirement. He was pretty sure that was the case when he told Ino last night but it was nice to get reassurance that his information was correct.

He nodded his agreement and was about to leave the house when he heard, "As long you two are married before my first grandchild arrives, I am content."

Shino was flushing behind his collar and kept walking, his father's soft knowing chuckle still ringing in his ears.

-----------------------------------------

Ino looked over at her lover and felt him give her hand a reassuring squeeze. He had showed up at her apartment early with fresh bread and a soothing touch when her morning sickness made its presence known. It seemed to worse than usual this morning.

Ino was nervous, despite having Shino's company for this particular chat with her family.

A small hand fluttered over the front of her dark purple dress, plucking at tiny specks of lint.

Oh, she wasn't worried about her mother – she would be thrilled about having grandkids to show off. No – she was more worried about what her father would say, especially when he found out about her and Shino.

The fact that she had kept her relationship with Shino firmly under wraps was going to cause some friction.

She also didn't know how her father was going to react when he found out that her lover's family was a bug wielding clan.

The young couple strolled down the street at a leisurely pace holding hands and was obliviously to the stares and sly whispers they were receiving from curious onlookers.

The blonde stopped suddenly, feeling a little light-headed and gripped her boyfriend's hand tighter. The worry she'd been feeling all morning about having to tell her father was starting to affect her. Shino looked over at his lover, secretly alarmed at how pale she was…

He wrapped his arms around the young woman and picked her up. "Sweetheart, do you want me to take you home? We can do this later when you're feeling better..." murmured Shino in a worried tone.

Ino shook her head slightly, her lady bug swinging a little at the movement and whispered in his ear, "Honey, I'll be fine... I think I just need to sit down for a little bit."

Shino looked around the street and caught sight of a little tea house in a nearby side street.

"Ino, can you walk?" asked the now-stressed bug wielder.

He was relieved to see her nod.

They sat down at a small table towards the back of the shop and Shino ordered them a pot of ginger tea to help settle her nausea.

He held her hand and stroked the top with his thumb while they wanted for the hostess to bring the tea.

The Kikaichuu master waited for the woman to leave before he poured two cups of the fragrant tea, carefully adding a little honey before handing the cup to Ino.

"Sip it slowly, sweetheart… it will help." murmured the bug wielder soothingly.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a packet of crackers. "Shino… how?" asked the blonde in wonderment.

Shino blushed at his lover's question. He knew what she was asking… "I heard it helps too…" murmured the young man awkwardly.

They stayed at the tea shop until Ino felt well enough to continue to her parent's home.

Shino continued down the road, still holding his girlfriend's hand and gently caressing it with his thumb.

He was relieved to see some color back in her cheeks when they finally reached the front gate of the Yamanaka Household. Shino opened the gate for his blonde vixen and let her enter first, still clasping her hand.

They were about to walk up the front steps when the couple heard an enraged voice shout, "Who the hell are you?! And what the hell are you doing with my daughter!?"

Shino's reaction was instantaneous. A wall of destruction beetles immediately formed between the couple and the swiftly approaching and highly irate Inoichi Yamanaka.

A glacial voice came out from behind the wall of bugs, "If you would prefer to wait until we're inside, I will be more than happy to tell you, Mr. Yamanaka. So, are you going to invite us in or are you going glare at me all day?"

------------------------------

Inoichi Yamanaka sat on the other side of the coffee table with his wife. They were curious as to why their daughter had insisted on seeing them this morning and why she was accompanied by a man who wielded beetles with deadly accuracy.

Ino sat serenely next to the young man in the dark glasses and all encompassing hood, still holding onto his hand. Inoichi was mildly surprised to see her looking as calm as she waited for the tea to be served. His wife, Emiko, on the other hand, looked positively delighted to see that her daughter had found someone else finally, no matter how strangely garbed.

Shino pulled off his hood and carefully folded down the collar before gently handing Ino her cup of green tea. Emiko and Inoichi were a little surprised and shocked by the young man's handsome features. Emiko looked at the man sitting next to her daughter over her cup of green tea, quietly contemplating the subtle interaction between the two. She had secretly watched the little incident in the front yard involving the bug wielder and her husband with great interest. She was impressed that the elegant man had dealt with the possible threat to Ino quickly and calmly. It was the young man's cold tone however, that had given her a clue as to what role he played in her daughter's life.

"Ino, sweetheart… that's a pretty necklace you're wearing… where did you get it?" asked Emiko casually. When her daughter had walked into the room, Emiko has noticed it straight away. It was quite a stunning piece of jewelry, elegant, understated and perfectly suited for her daughter. In fact, she had a sneaking suspicion that it had been made _expressly_ for Ino.

The young man took a sip of his green tea and continued to gently caress her daughter's hand. He gave Ino a small smile before she turned and addressed her mother's questions.

"Thank you, mother… I'm glad you like it. Shino gave it to me." replied the blonde with a soft smile.

_So, his name was Shino… it suited him. He did remind her of an elegant reed of Bamboo._

"Emiko, Ino – enough of the women's chat…" growled an impatient Inoichi, "Ino - what was so important that you needed to tell us both?!"

Emiko watched Shino frown slightly at the man's tone. She could tell that the young man didn't like her husband's attitude at all. She was intrigued now. She had a premonition that her husband was about to receive a set down and he didn't even know it yet.

Shino stroked his lover's hand slowly, detecting the fine tremors after feeling the lash of her father's sharp tone. He was more than well aware that he was _not _Shikamaru.

What this pompous pig didn't know that he was _better_ than Shikamaru… for Ino at least.

_Aburame men did not treat their women the way this one did! They were adored, gently teased, worshipped and above all – loved!_

"Ino… I find your father's attitude to you and your mother offensive. A real man does not treat his women like this!" growled the bug wielder in response to Inoichi's question.

Emiko couldn't see the young man's eyes but she got the impression that he was a little upset. She could now pick up a tiny hissing sound which seemed to coming from _within_ the young man…

Inoichi stood up, now furious with the young man's impertinence.

"How dare you!?" roared an irate Inoichi, "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Shino pinned the man with a cold stare through his glasses and in a deathly quiet voice replied, "I dare because Ino is _my _woman. No man treats her like dirt, not even her father!"

He stood up and gave him a steely glare through his glasses, at the bristling Inoichi before hissing, "As to who the hell I am? I am Shibi Aburame's son, heir of the Aburame clan."

The Kikai beetles hummed louder and rippled under the skin dangerously from within Shino as a warning to the older man.

He coolly adjusted his glasses with one hand and gently pulled Ino up from the chair.

"Ino, sweetheart… I'm sorry… maybe you were right after all. We should have told my family our news first…" murmured the kikaichu master contritely to his disappointed girlfriend. They started to walk to the door.

Ino was distraught by this turn of events but wasn't surprised by her father's attitude.

She felt a tiny beetle land on her right shoulder blade and looked up to see a small smile flash briefly across her kikai lover's face. She wasn't surprised to hear Rex's irate buzzing. He and Spike were pretty territorial where she was concerned…

They were about to leave, when they heard an equally irate female voice behind them screaming, "You **_Baka_**! Inoichi – keep your trap shut!"

Shino grinned knowingly at his woman.

_So, this was where she got her fire from…_

A soft pleading voice called out, "Ino, sweetie… Why don't you and your nice young man sit back down and tell us what it was that you needed to talk about in person…"

Shino quietly closed the door and gazed down at the delicate blonde at his side.

Ino looked over at her boyfriend in surprise and saw the raised eyebrow above his glasses.

_He was a crafty devil! He knew the right things to say to get her parents to listen to her…_

A little kikai beetle flitted out and sat in the hollow of her left shoulder blade. Shino shrugged when he saw the second beetle come out… It seemed both of them were ready to protect their mistress if the moment arose.

Ino smiled at her lover, giving him a slight nod before they turned to walk back into the sitting room.

------------------------

It was beginning to feel like Deja vu. Ino and her Kikai lover were sitting back down, drinking tea but this time, Inoichi was keeping a civil tongue in his head.

"So, sweetie… what is it you need to tell us?" wheedled Emiko eagerly.

Shino's comment about they should have told his family their news first, was telling. If it was what her women's intuition was telling her – there was no way her _Baka_ husband was going to rob her of this moment.

Shino gently squeezed his woman's hand to let her know that it was okay to tell them now and continued to stroke his thumb over the hand he held.

Ino blurted out, "Mother, I'm pregnant. Shino and I are expecting your grandchildren in six months time…"

Emiko and Inoichi looked at the young couple in stunned silence… then Emiko hesitantly said, "Ino… did you say grand_children_ as in plural?"

Emiko watched the young man pick up her daughter's hand and gently kiss it. She certainly couldn't fault her daughter's taste. He definitely seemed a better catch for her than Shikamaru Nara.

"Yes, mother… I'm carrying twins." replied the young woman serenely.

Ino was surprised to hear her father's gruff voice and see the suspicious sheen of tears in his eyes"So, when's the wedding."

_Well, at least he seemed thrilled at the prospect of becoming a grandfather… that was a good sign. _Ino thought privately to herself.

Shino answered the question, "My clan has a requirement that Ino needs to live with us for six months prior to taking vows…"

He saw her parents beginning to protest over that. He knew exactly what they were thinking… they didn't want their grandchildren to be born _illegitimate_!

"There is one small exception though… because of her condition and the fact that she is willing to enter into a union with my clan - if Ino wishes to shorten that time period of her own free will, my father has agreed to let us marry earlier."

Ino's parents nodded thoughtfully and understood what the young man was saying. It was obvious that the Aburame Clan was _unusual_ and for a woman to want to willingly live with a clan filled with beetles seemed rare. For that reason alone, the clan leader was willing to make certain concessions to Ino but any pressure from them and the deal was off. They would have to wait to get married _after _the birth of the twins…

They knew when they had been outwitted by a worthy adversary and reluctantly nodded their agreement.

"Mr. Yamanaka, my father will be in touch later with the documents." murmured the bug wielder, giving the older man a slight bow of respect.

Ino felt tears sting at her eyes, relieved that Shino got her parents to agree to the terms of the Aburame Clan.

She suddenly felt exhausted from the stress of the visit and felt herself feeling lightheaded again. Ino felt the shadows engulf her as the floor rushed up to meet her.

"Ino!"

She had fainted before Shino caught her.

---------------------

Ino blinked her eyes, trying to figure out what happened… She recognized the room but she was confused as to why she was in her old room, her head on Shino's firm lap.

"S-Shinnnoooo…." moaned the pale blonde. The bug wielder continued to press the cooling cloth to her forehead, occasionally scolding two little buzzing blobs…

She squinted and saw her two insect bodyguards flitting around, vastly irritated.

"Rex? Spike? Behave! I'm fine… honest." admonished Ino gently.

Her mother's nervous face popped in the doorway and was relieved to see her daughter awake.

"Shino, here's that pot of ginger tea you asked for…"murmured Emiko.

She watched the young man fish around his pockets and pull out a packet of dry crackers.

"Sweetheart? I need you to sit up slowly, so I can give you some tea and crackers to soothe your nausea." crooned the bug wielder softly.

She watched in amazement as Shino patiently fed her daughter ginger tea and dry crackers, a little bit at a time until it was all gone.

"This has happened before, I take it?" asked the woman, looking a little chagrinned.

"Yes – just before we got here… She was nervous about telling her father and got herself all worked up…" sighed Shino.

Emiko felt awful… they were to blame for this latest episode.

"Do you really need to leave soon?" asked Ino's mother a little worried.

She heard the Kikaichuu master sigh again before replying, "Yes – I'm afraid so… We need to inform both families before the village find out… the sooner there is a formal agreement in place, the safer Ino will be from unsavory village gossip."

Emiko was impressed. He had given this a great deal of thought.

"When did you find out, Shino?" asked Emiko gently. The bug wielder continued to keep watch over his lover, slowly seeing the color back into her face.

"Yesterday… in the late afternoon." murmured Shino.

"Shino? I'm ready to go now…" came a soft voice from the bed. He noticed the little watch dogs were sitting in their usual perches, looking calmer. That was a good sign at least…

He gently pulled her up, and quietly thanked Ino's mother for the tea, bowing slightly before gently escorting his beautiful vixen down the stairs and out the door…

Emiko couldn't help thinking as she followed their retreating figures that Ino had gotten herself one hell of a man…

------------------------

The stress of telling her family behind her, Ino was feeling a little more relaxed about breaking the news to Shino's family.

She had the impression that his father at least, was going to be thrilled.

The Aburame Family Compound was on the outskirts of the village, so it was late afternoon by the time they reached Shino's home.

Shino opened the gate and let his blonde beauty go first.

They got to the front steps when two things happened simultaneously. A cloud of his father's destruction beetles came out to greet the newcomers, only for Shino's own destruction beetles to get aggressive and push the new bugs away from Ino. They were on the defensive after the situation at the Yamanaka Household. The young woman's two faithful bodyguards then zipped off their perch on the blonde's collarbones and raced inside the huge house.

They soon heard Shibi's bloodcurdling screams, "Shiinnnooo, tell your woman to call these little bastards off me!!"

Ino looked at her lover horrified as Shino chuckled, "Sweetheart, you better call them back!"

"Rex, Spike… come home!" crooned the blonde. Two little black blobs flitted back and lovingly went back to their mistress, buzzing happily. She absentmindedly put her finger up and gently stroked the beetles.

They soon heard Shibi's voice get closer, "Shino, those two are the most vicious little pricks I have ever had the misfortune of meeting… Is there a reason why they are that nasty? There was only one time I saw this and it was with your mother… she had this one cantankerous bug that had the worst attitude…"

Shibi's voice died off when he beheld the vision standing next to his son.

She wore a conservative looking short sleeved purple dress that came to her knees. Her blonde hair fell to her waist in soft waves and eyes as blue as the open sky danced back at him in greeting.

_Oh my god! This was his son's woman? No way in hell! He had heard that Yamanaka's daughter was a beauty but he thought it had been pure exaggeration._

Then he saw the two little hellions, purring with delight whenever she gently stroked their wings.

His eyes widened in shock behind his glasses when he realized where the vicious little bastards like to perch.

_Fucking little perverts!_

The two kikai suddenly noticed the Aburame Clan Leader watching them and starting hissing in warning.

Shibi frowned at his grinning son and growled, "Can't you control the fucking little monsters?"

He was disgusted to see his son shake his head and reply, "Not really… they only come to me occasionally for food… but they will only listen to Ino most of the time..."

Shibi's brain almost had a meltdown when he heard a soft sultry voice murmur, "Boys… you need to behave now. Stop being so bad!"

The two little kikai beetles calmed down at the sound of her voice and Shibi shook his head in amazement.

Shibi frowned slightly as another thought crossed his mind, "Shino, what's wrong with your beetles tonight? They've been acting aggressively and actually attacked mine when I sent them out to say hello…"

The Aburame Clan Leader came closer to the young couple still standing on the top step, abruptly stopping when he noticed two things now that he could see them clearly in the early evening light.

The little enamel ladybug twinkled brightly at the young woman's neck proudly proclaiming his son's claim to her affections and his beetles could now detect two strong little heartbeats, coming from her.

"Ahhhh…. I see. Shino, it seems you need to teach those beetles of yours manners as well." Murmured Shibi. "They should know by now that I wouldn't hurt your woman, especially when she's carrying my grandchildren!"

The Aburame Clan Leader turned around and walked back inside, amongst a cloud of destruction beetles.

A voice drifted out from the darkness, "Well, bring her in son! The poor girl is probably starving!"

------------------------

Ino hesitantly walked into the large house and was decidedly overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place.

"Shhh, sweetheart, it will be okay… you need to relax. Those two Kikai of yours are in tune to your emotions. They'll probably attack my father again if you don't calm down…" murmured Shino.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Shino… I keep forgetting Rex and Spike are sensitive that way…" replied the blonde.

They heard a soft chuckle coming from the kitchen, "Good god… She's named the little terrors as well, huh?"

Shino pulled out a chair for Ino and helped her get comfortable at the table. The younger Aburame went to the sink to fill the kettle while his father dug through the kitchen cabinets for some herbal tea for the young woman.

"Uh, Mr. Aburame…. Where's your bathroom?" asked a suddenly weak voice. Shino and Shibi both looked over in alarm at the suddenly limp blonde at the table and rushed over to her side.

Shino muttered to the little watch dogs, "Spike, Rex… bathroom, now… we'll be there in a minute."

The two beetles buzzed angrily as they went ahead. Shibi looked down at the poor girl draped between him and his son.

A look of compassion passed between father and son. Shibi raised an eyebrow and Shino nodded in reply.

They gently carried the frail looking blonde to the bathroom. Shino carefully draped his beloved into position at the toilet while Shibi waited outside.

"Protect, boys… Rex, come and get me when she's done, okay?" murmured the younger man.

He walked out of the bathroom and left it open a crack for the two destruction beetles.

"I take it things went bad over at the Yamanaka household huh, son?" muttered the Aburame Clan Leader.

"Yeah, dad… it wasn't the best situation to deal with." Murmured Shino in a tired voice.

The two men grimaced when they heard the unmistakable heart wrenching sounds of someone being violently ill.

Shibi was disgusted… if a simple visit to her parent's home had caused this much stress to the young woman, it wasn't a good omen.

"How many times did she did get sick, Shino?" asked Shibi grimly.

The younger man understood what his father was asking. "She was feeling weak on the way over to her parent's home and she had a serious fainting spell just as we concluded the contract negotiations."

"We'll talk more about this after we put your woman to bed." murmured the elder Aburame.

A Kikai beetle dashed out of the bathroom and buzzed frantically at Shino. "Okay, Rex… stop getting stressed and upset… she'll be fine. I promise." He walked over to his girlfriend and scooped her up from the floor of the bathroom.

"Dad, can you get me a robe for Ino… I need to change her out of this dress."

"Shinnooo…." murmured a weak voice.

"Shh, sweetheart, it's okay… I'm just going to change you into some clean clothes and put you to bed."

"…love..you…" murmured the weak voice.

Shino's voice cracked with emotion and felt his kikai thrashing wildly around inside of him as he replied, "Kami, I love you too, sweetheart…"

The bug wielder gently wiped his lover's heated flesh with a soft cloth and patted her dry while he waited for his father to bring the robe.

"Shino… call him off! I can't even slide the robe through the door…" called out his father in a disgusted voice.

"Reeeexxxx… bad buugggg… releassseee…" chuckled a weak voice.

Shino gently put the blonde into the robe and scooped her up in his arms. He found his father waiting for him when he exited the bathroom. Shibi could see the same thing that his son saw… Ino looked so fragile and pale with large dark circles under her eyes… The stress had finally caught up with the young woman.

Shino was walking past his father when his lover's fingers suddenly reached out and gripped his father's arm. "con…tract?"

Shibi could feel his heart clench painfully at her unspoken plea. "Shhh… Ino, sweetie… it will be fine. Let Shino and I worry about that... You need to rest."

He watched the young woman slide her hand off his arm with a sigh.

Shino came out of his room after a while and looked at his father worried.

"Son, we need to have an overdue chat…" murmured Shibi in a low growl, his kikai humming dangerously.

"Father… what about Ino?" asked Shino.

"Don't worry, son… We always protect our own." replied the Elder Abarame.

There was no question to the Clan Leader that Ino would be a lot safer amongst the bugs.


	4. A Long Overdue Chat

**Author's Note:**

This story is dedicated to **Deserter**, **Blaze Da Dragon, The Cyckest, Thunderwolf16** and **Oxygen Pirate.**

Many thanks to the readers and those brave enough to leave reviews.

Special thanks to **A true dreamer** for the delightful and rather nice PM. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

Ohhh… the drama of it all. This chapter is primarily devoted to the scheming wiles of those two Aburame charmers: Shibi and Shino. Nothing like a good old fashioned boy chat to liven up the proceedings.

I tried to make it less…fluffy for my male reviewers… hopefully, I have succeeded. :D

This is the raw chapter and like all things in life, is subject to revision at a later date.

**Disclaimer:** I so do not own Naruto because if I did, Shibi Aburame would be my pimp!  
Yeeehaw!  
Sadly, Shibi and I do not make a profit from this story or... anything else for that matter. Enjoy, my beautiful people, enjoy!

_It's so strange  
the way our paths have crossed  
how we were  
brought together  
hmmm  
it's written in the stars it seems_

_flying high - Jem_

**Chapter four – A long overdue chat**

Shino sat at the kitchen table with his head in his hands, his sunglasses sitting on the table beside him. The low humming coming from his Kikai bugs was the only outward sign that he was worried about his lover.

"Shino, relax…she's going to be fine. She's safe now." murmured the elder Aburame as he came back into kitchen.

Shibi placed a large bottle of whiskey on the kitchen table and went to a nearby cupboard to fetch a couple of glasses.

"I just quickly checked on her and I think the stress of whatever that poor girl has had to deal with in the past few months has finally caught up with her though… it looks like she's going to be out like a light for a few hours at least," continued the Aburame Clan Leader.

Shino looked up at his father when he heard that comment, still a little shaken by the events of the last two days.

He felt his father's hand on his shoulder and murmured, "Shino, you didn't lose her… don't beat yourself up."

The younger Aburame felt his father move around to the other side of the table and watched him sit down.

"Father, she honestly thought I would leave her if she had mentioned her suspicion about the pregnancy and I was worried that she was planning on leaving me because she'd been so secretive lately," replied Shino bleakly, his destruction beetles hissing and revealing his agitation.

"Shino… let me ask you a question..." murmured Shibi.

"What's that, Father?" asked the younger man, glancing over at Shibi.

"Son, do you two love each other?" asked the Aburame Clan Leader.

"Yes, we do… very much," replied the young bug wielder softly.

"Will she marry you when the time comes?" continued the elder Aburame.

"Yes… She says she still needs a little more time but she's sure about marrying me." said Shino with a smile.

"Hn… I'm not surprised to hear she needs a little more time…" muttered the Aburame Clan Leader under his breath.

"Father?" asked Shino.

Shino watched his father unscrew the cap of the whiskey bottle and pour two glasses of the dark liquid.

Shino raised his eyebrow and asked, "Father, what's the whiskey for?"

Shibi raised one of the glasses to his lips and took a small sip. "Son, we need to have a long over-due chat and I have a feeling that you're going to need some of that whiskey later."

--------------------------------

Shibi watched the whiskey swirl hypnotically in his glass. The first order of business his son and him needed to discuss was that marriage contract. It had broken his heart when he felt the young woman clutch at his arm like that. He had known that she loved his son unconditionally at that moment but he still felt the need to hear it from his own son's lips.

He also knew what she was truly asking when she said that one word. She was currently in no condition to effectively protect herself if she needed to do so and she was clearly scared about the welfare of her unborn children. He had also known in that moment that he would do what was needed to protect his grandchildren and the marriage contract would effectively prevent _anyone _harassing her, especially when it finally became known who the father of her children was…

Shibi was shrewd enough to know that his son's relationship with the beautiful young kuniochi was going to cause a scandal of epic proportions.

He had to admire the spunk of the young woman though. There were not a lot of females out there willing to be intimate with a man who was in effect a walking beetle nest, much less be proud of carrying two future beetle nests within her womb. This clan relied heavily on arranged marriages with other bug clans but there was always the occasional rare individual who was willing to enter into such a relationship without that duress.

Shibi shot his son a look of admiration at his luck. The blonde beauty had definitely changed from the twelve year old little shrew she used to be and mellowed into this confident beauty. It was just a little unfortunate about the whole mess involving the Sand kuniochi and Shikamaru. He had heard from the village grapevine that she had taken the breakup with the Nara Heir extremely hard but he had to admire her ability to overcome heartache and move on with her life.

Shibi knew he wasn't seeing the young woman in her full glory at the moment but he knew that she would be back to her fiery self once her nasty morning sickness settled down.

_It was nothing that a little Aburame style pampering couldn't fix..._

Shibi looked over at his son and addressed the first issue of many that they needed to discuss.

"Shino, I want you to go get the contracts as well as the seal from my study. They're sitting on the table. The sooner this is taken care of, the better the situation will be for you and that young woman in your room."

He watched his brat son push away from the table eagerly and trot off in the general direction of his study.

Shibi grinned at his son's obvious haste in returning with the contracts. He had drawn up the majority of it this morning when Shino had mentioned that he was bringing someone home to meet him but he needed to talk to his son about his chat with the Yamanaka family before finalizing the paperwork.

"Son, you mentioned that there were some issues when you went over to the Yamanaka household this morning. What were they?"

He heard his son's destruction beetles buzzing loudly before he got them under control.

"Inoichi isn't thrilled at the prospect of me courting his daughter. He rushed out of the house trying to warn us off" began Shino.

Shibi scoffed at that one, "Too damn bad! She's of age and you're her choice…I personally don't see the problem here... I take it he changed his tune once his daughter's current condition became known?"

The younger Aburame nodded and continued, "Yes but not before we got up and threatened to tell my clan first our good news."

Shibi frowned, "The man was being difficult, hn?"

"Worse…" grunted his son.

The Aburame clan leader raised an eyebrow and asked, "How so?"

"He was rude to his women." responded the younger male in a disgusted tone.

Both men's destruction beetles hummed ominously in the otherwise silent kitchen as they privately agreed that there was no excuse for being mean to the ones you were supposed to adore with every fiber of your being.

"I take it her parents were eager to know when the wedding would take place then?" replied Shibi with a small bite to his voice.

The Aburame Clan Leader watched his son nod curtly.

"You mentioned the clan requirements and our compromise to shorten the waiting period?" asked Shibi.

"They agreed to our conditions, albeit reluctantly…" murmured Shino.

"Excellent, son….Good job." smiled the Aburame Clan Leader.

"Okay, then… The agreement will be that Ino will stay in the Aburame Compound for the duration of her pregnancy. She's to be treated with the utmost dignity at all times since she has agreed to enter into this arrangement of her own free will. In doing so, she will be given the opportunity to marry prior to the full waiting period if that is her wish. Any influence from her parents or anyone else, to force the issue of marriage will force the contract to run the full six months. Is there anything else, son?" murmured Shibi, giving the document in his hands one final perusal.

Shino frowned, "Nothing that should be on the marriage contract, father… more of a safety concern."

Shibi grinned at that comment, "Son, I wouldn't worry about her safety… those little terrors of hers will take care of anyone foolish to threaten her."

The elder Aburame watched his son start slightly at the mention of someone threatening Ino.

_It seemed that someone had done exactly that to the young woman in the past… interesting. He would need to ask his son about that later…_

The younger Aburame watched in silence as his father completed the official documents and affixed the Aburame seal to them.

"Okay, apart from delivering the paperwork to the Yamanaka Clan to sign – it's a done deal!"

Shino smiled at that small comfort. Ino and their unborn children were now officially under the protection of the Aburame Clan.

--------------------------

Shibi thought of Ino's little pit bulls with wings and was intrigued about something, "Son, I'm curious as to when two of your destruction beetles developed an attachment to your woman."

Shino found himself reaching for that glass of whiskey now and his father raised an eyebrow at the telling action.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Father… I noticed it a couple of weeks or so after that day in the cabin." replied the younger Aburame highly embarrassed.

"I see…" murmured the Aburame Clan Leader under his breath.

_So much for leaving the young rogue enough condoms to sink the Titanic!_

"Shino… you remember when I said the last time I saw a Kikai form an attachment to someone outside of their bug host, it was with your mother. It too happened shortly after she became pregnant with you. Brewster was the name of your mother's little protector and he was an ornery cuss."

Shibi took a sip of his whiskey and continued, "Those two Kikai of your woman's are the most ferocious destruction beetles I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. I'll warn you now, those little bastards of hers are going to get nastier as her pregnancy progresses and when your children are finally born."

The Aburame Clan Leader gave his son a look of consideration, "I noticed when your mother had Brewster, she knew the Kikai was a male and you turned out to be a male child. I have noticed that Ino's spoilt little watchdogs are both male …"

Shino looked at his father in shock as this thought absorbed into his brain. "I'm curious then, father. The way she treats her Kikai beetles… is that an indication of what type of mother she will be?"

Shibi grinned at his son's comment.

_He was indeed a sharp young man!_

"Yes, son… it's an excellent indication of what type of mother she will be to your children. You're a lucky man… she's going to be a wonderful mother."

---------------------------------

Shibi looked at his son thoughtfully as he digested the little revelation that the young woman must have conceived during that first time and with twins no less!

The Aburame Clan Leader couldn't help but be impressed with his son's potency.

He smiled slyly then, the timing brought to mind a rumor he had heard roughly four months ago. The pieces of the puzzle finally slipped into place now that he figured it out.

"Son, I heard a rumor roughly four months ago that I think may have, in fact - been based on a grain of truth…" murmured Shibi with a sly tone in his voice.

"What's that, father?" asked a suddenly curious Shino. He never listened to the village gossip, not like his father who enjoyed a good wild rumor from time to time. He had a funny feeling that he would be interested in this one though…

"A beautiful blonde woman, matching Ino's description, managed to stop every male in his tracks within a six mile radius as she walked by…" replied Shibi, suddenly finding the swirling dark liquid in his glass, infinitely fascinating.

"It was said that she was so preoccupied that she hadn't noticed when she had walked past her ex-lover that she normally avoided like the plague without even batting an eyelash in his general direction…" continued the elder Aburame.

Shibi waited for his son's reaction. He hated asking in such a way but knew it would be brought into question and bandied about by the village gossips unless otherwise proven, especially given that these two chose to keep their romance under wraps for this long.

He heard the chair clatter on the floor as Shino stood up in a rush of fury, his Kikai pouring out of him in a cloud and buzzing dangerously.

Shibi watched nonchalantly through his whiskey glass as his son placed his palms flat on the kitchen table, his eyes flashing brilliantly and hissed in a low voice through clenched teeth, "He was **_never_** her lover!! Ino has known only **_one_** man in that way!"

Shibi had suspected that was the case but having it clarified in such a spectacular fashion never hurt.

"Well, son… I'm rather relieved to hear that, especially when the village gossips try to elude to the contrary…" murmured the elder Aburame, then continued, "Relax, son… your woman's medic nin friend, the Haruno, has the Hokage's ear, hn? I'm sure she would be more than happy to help prevent unsavory gossip from spreading?"

Shino nodded, finally understanding why his father was pursuing this line of questioning.

"Shino, why don't you calm down your kikai and take your seat. I will tell you another interesting rumor I heard a lot older than that one…"

The younger Aburame sat back after retrieving his abandoned chair from the floor and frowned slightly at his father's comment.

"Now, son… I know you've never asked your woman why she's extremely commitment shy." murmured the Aburame Clan Leader and then continued, "The fact that she has promised to marry you when she's ready is commendable and a testament to the type of relationship the two of you have…"

Shino didn't like where this was heading, not at all. "Father, what was this rumor you heard and how does it relate to Ino?"

---------------------

"There was talk amongst certain circles that Ino had inadvertently seen something she shouldn't have… something that destroyed her trust in relationships so completely…" murmured the elder Aburame, taking a sip of whiskey.

Shino stared at his father in stunned silence, his mind reeling at what his father was alluding to.

"Father, are you suggesting that Ino has somehow stumbled upon Shikamaru and Temari in a compromising position?"

"Yes, son - that's one way to put it. One of the rumors going around at the time did suggest that Ino had caught Shikamaru Nara in bed with the sand woman in the process of exploring each other's _souls_ as it were…" replied the elder Aburame.

"I don't understand…" started the younger man.

Aburame men were not known to stray once they set their sights on a woman, so he could see why his son would be perplexed by all this.

"Son… it's quite simple. Shikamaru Nara found himself torn between two women. Ino was reluctant to consummate her relationship with the Nara because she felt she wasn't ready…so, Shikamaru pretty much chose the one who didn't have such reservations."

"Oh my god…" whispered Shino.

It suddenly made too much sense; her resistances to being open about their relationship, her unnecessary worries about what other people would say about them, her terror about his possible reaction to an unplanned pregnancy… everything!

The younger Aburame raised his glass and took a sip of the whiskey, welcoming the slight burn as it slid down his throat.

"Now, the Nara Heir and Ino still managed to stay friends even after this unfortunate incident, which was commendable… then something happened to change even that fragile bond." murmured the Aburame Clan Leader in a conversational tone.

Shino nodded thoughtfully at his father's comment. He knew what he was referring to…

"The engagement party." He murmured softly.

Shibi looked up at his son with surprise then.

_So his son did know something about this… interesting._

------------------------

It was Shino's turn to now lift his glass and swirl the whiskey in its depths hypnotically. He knew his father was curious about what had happened between the two beautiful blondes too but he was torn between not wanting to betray his friend, _now_ lover's confidence or telling his father what he knew and effectively unloading a mental burden he had been carrying for a long time.

"Shino…" murmured his father's voice, causing the younger man to look up from the whiskey glass he was contemplating.

"Son, I know what you're thinking… and you're wrong." replied Shibi. "You won't be betraying her trust. She needs to be protected and you're going to need help from the Clan once the entire village is aware that she's pregnant. I can't provide that assistance if I don't know what we're dealing with in terms of the threat."

The younger man gave a deep melancholy sigh at this logic.

_He hated when his father was occasionally right!_

"Okay… I will tell you what I know about that night, father but I don't think even you are going to like what I am about to divulge," murmured Shino.

---------------------------------

_Nine Months ago…_

Ino was running – she was too scared to figure out where she was running to… all she knew was that she needed to get away from _that_ woman.

She could feel the flesh around her throat still stinging from where Temari had forcibly pinned her to the bathroom wall. She knew that she had no choice – she had to do what the awful woman demanded from her or she would make good on her threat!

Her body felt like it was on fire and her heart felt like it was about burst out of her chest any moment. Ino slumped over in the middle of the dark road, extremely exhausted from her efforts to escape. She took a couple of deep breaths to try to calm down her raging heart beat and finally looked around the countryside, trying to get her bearings.

Ino's eyes were beginning to well with unshed tears.

_Great! Just great! She didn't know who she could talk to about this mess she found herself in and now – she was lost in a part of Konoha she wasn't familiar with!_

The blonde despondently thought, "This just isn't my night to catch a break…"

She was beginning to think what else could go wrong when she felt another chakra signature near by.

_Oh God – I'm going to die!_

Ino tried to calm down her mass of nerves to focus on the prospect of having to protect herself when she saw them – fireflies. The night air was suddenly filled with an abundance of them. She was hopeful that it was him but she wasn't sure… Ino was too wound up emotionally to get a proper read on the approaching chakra and her throat was too sore to call out the name that had come to her mind when she first noticed the glowing bugs in the night sky.

A hooded figure appeared just then out of the darkness and the young woman felt trapped by the fear starting to rise up within her, keeping her rooted to the one spot on the road.

"Ino? Are you okay?" murmured a familiar honeyed masculine voice.

There was no answer from the young woman who had finally given into her extreme exhaustion and collapsed in the dust.

--------------------

Shino felt something close to pity tug at his heart and had a strange overwhelming urge to protect his friend now stretched out unconscious on the bed. He wrung out the cloth and placed it back on the blonde's forehead. The young man was secretly relieved that his father was away on a mission for the Hokage at the moment. Shino really didn't feel up to giving his curious father unnecessary hopes regarding their lovely female guest. True – they were the best of friends but that's all they were. Ino had never given any indication that she would welcome his attentions beyond what they currently shared and he was reluctant to risk ruining what they had. Yes – he had thought about it many a time but until three months ago – the beautiful blonde had been hung up on Shikamaru Nara.

He wrung another cloth from the bowl near the side of the bed and gently wiped at the patches of dirt around her throat… only – it wasn't dirt. Ino flinched from the gentle contact and moaned pitifully before lapsing into silence once more.

Shino frowned slightly and looked closer at the strange markings before his eyes widened to the size of saucers behind his glasses.

_Oh God! Someone had tried to choke the daylights out of his dear friend!_

The Kikai buzzed dangerously inside him as he tried to get his emotions under control. Whoever had done this to her wasn't playing games. This person was dangerous and it was clear that they saw Ino as a threat to them.

He was tempted to wake the young woman from her exhausted slumber but realistically knew that she needed the rest and answers to his questions would need to wait until later.

Shino felt a little bad about scaring her like that but that hadn't been the plan originally.

He had been taking a stroll when he had felt a faint but extremely familiar chakra signature nearby. The bug wielder had broken into a trot as he headed closer when he realized that the approaching person was highly agitated. Shino had been shocked when he finally figured out that the individual was Ino and that she was terrified out of her mind about something. He had thought that the sight of the fireflies would put her troubled mind at ease but he was dismayed when she had collapsed at his feet.

Yes – he could wait until she was awake to have a chat.

--------------------

Ino was having the most wonderful dream. A mystery man had emerged out of a sea of fireflies and came to her in the middle of the night. He had the most beautiful voice she had ever heard. It had been velvety smooth with a soft sexiness to it.

She turned in her sleep and frowned slightly when she recognized an oddly familiar smell coming from the soft pillow under her head. The scents of lilac, sunshine and sandalwood mixed with a distinctive _masculine_ undertone that was comforting and yet, at the same time strangely arousing and familiar...

"Mmmmm…" murmured the blonde with a soft smile on her lips.

The smell made her feel…safe. It also made her think of one man in particular.

"Shhiiiinnnoooo…" mumbled Ino before she fell back to sleep.

The man in question stood frozen in the doorway, stunned by what he had just witnessed.

He felt like a pervert, just standing there and watching her roll around in his bed but he had to admit that he rather liked the idea that she seemed happy to be there. His face was still burning up from hearing his name on her lips and a part of him was starting to have ideas of a decidedly sexual nature.

_No. Things were best the way they are… _

While Ino was an exception, he had long since come to the conclusion that no half-way decent woman would want to voluntarily share their life, let alone a bed - with a man who had bugs living inside of him.

He had vowed to himself, however - if ever the day did come that he found such a paragon of a woman, he wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers so easily.

Shino took another longing look at the beautiful blonde looking extremely content sleeping in his bed, before silently slipping out the room.

_No – it was best that they just stay friends in the long term…_

-------------------------------

The soft sunlight streaming through the high window alerted Ino to the fact that she'd been sleeping for sometime. She turned over in the incredibly soft bed and stretched slightly before frowning as her eyes got used to the light.

_This wasn't her bedroom…_

She sat up and quietly surveyed the room to see where the nearest exits were, just in case she needed to get away. Ino dealt with her share of crazy people last night… she didn't want to deal with any more of the same if she could help it.

The room was decorated with a couple of cases filled with butterflies and beetles, a desk, a bookcase full of botany and entomology books and a long tank that contained quite a few well-fed silk worms.

Insects of all varieties flit in and out of the windows and were resting in various locations around the room. The whole scene made her think that she had inadvertently stumbled into the Garden of Eden.

Ino was still trying to figure out exactly where she was when she saw one thing that cleared up the mystery for her. On the desk sat a single wild daisy in a bud vase with a lady bug happily crawling all over it.

_Shino…_

"Yes?" murmured a masculine voice.

The young woman looked over to the door where a familiar man in glasses stood, carrying a glass containing some sort of concoction in one hand.

She was going to talk when she felt Shino's firm fingertips against her lips and saw him shaking his head slightly.

"Ino, drink this… it will help with the sore throat." murmured the bug wielder gently, wrapping her fingers around a glass.

She took a sip from the proffered glass and she felt the cool liquid coat her swollen throat.

The young woman winced slightly, a hand clutching at her bruised neck as she tried to swallow. A tear slipped down her cheek as the sudden pain sharply brought to mind last night's events in vivid detail.

"Shhh, Ino… it's okay. You're safe here." murmured Shino in a concerned tone.

"Shi...no…" began the blonde, the muscles in her neck protesting, her fingers touching the side of his face.

The Aburame Heir put a comforting hand on his friend's arm and murmured, "Shhh... Ino, you can give me an explanation later. You need to rest and let the medicine do its job."

The young woman's hand dropped away from the bug wielder's face as she began to feel the effects of the medicinal draught flow throughout her body.

Shino continued to lightly stroke her arm until he was sure she was deeply asleep before tenderly placing his lips on her temple and leaving her in peace.

He walked out of the room without a backward glance and did not see the little smile that came to Ino's lips.

------------------------------

Shino was sitting at the kitchen table sipping his green tea and occasionally taking a bite out of the piece of toast sitting on the plate nearby.

He was writing the latest results on his silk worms into his notebook when he felt someone watching him from the doorway.

"Good morning…" murmured the bug wielder, smiling gently at the woman standing in there in one of his mother's old robes. "How are you feeling?"

"Better…thanks." croaked the blonde gratefully.

Shino watched as one of Ino's hands fluttered around her throat before she asked, "How long… was I… asleep… for?"

"You slept the day away yesterday… your chakra was pretty depleted when I found you." replied Shino before he added in a gentle tone, "Why don't you take a seat and I will fix you some breakfast, okay?"

The young woman slipped into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and watched as her friend got up and walk over to the fridge.

It was the first time anyone had offered to make her breakfast and she was delighted at the idea of someone else cooking for a change.

"Ino…" asked the bug wielder not looking up from his perusal of the fridge as continued his question. "Is your throat still sore?"

"Yes… a little." admitted the young blonde embarrassed.

Shino looked up then, seeing the blush on her face and correctly interpreted the reason, "Ino, there's no need for you to be embarrassed. I just wanted to know so I could make you something easy for you to eat, that's all."

She suddenly felt foolish.

_Oh course Shino would care about something like that… _

He had always struck her as being a pretty considerate guy.

Ino watched him in silent fascination as he got the ingredients together to make her a simple cheese omelet.

A plate slid in front of her and Ino looked up in surprise. She had been so busy staring at those hands of his, that she hadn't noticed when he had finished cooking.

"Take it easy, Ino… it's still hot. Why don't you have some juice while you wait for it to cool down?" murmured Shino, now sitting down across from her.

_He was being so nice to her...he was always nice to her._

All the time she'd known this man – not once had he ever judged or criticized her. Even now – he wasn't pushing her for answers, but rather waited for when she was ready to tell him and yet… she knew he was curious. Strangely enough, she really did want to tell him what happened.

"Shino…" began the young woman.

"Ino… this can wait if you're not ready…" gently cut in the bug wielder not looking up from his notebook as he continued to scribble in more notes.

The blonde reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his; effectively halting his writing and Shino looked at her then.

"No, Shino… I want… to tell you." replied the young woman softly.

Shino gave Ino a long look of consideration before finally nodding slowly. In her current state, a strong gust of wind could blow the poor girl over. He was reluctant to tire her out just to get all the gory details.

"Okay… you can give me the shortened version, alright?" murmured the bug wielder finally.

Ino nodded gratefully and smiled her thanks.

"So, what happened? It looks like someone tried to choke you, Ino…" replied Shino in a concerned voice.

The blonde nodded again and chuckled lamely, "Well... you could say that, Shino… I got pinned… to a wall …by my throat."

She heard the clatter of a chair on the floor and felt his hand tense up under hers.

"What the hell?!" murmured the bug wielder in a dangerously low voice. "If that's meant to be a joke, then it's not funny, Ino."

She looked up then and was shocked to see how furious Shino was by this news.

"Shino, it's alright… really. She was just… trying to scare me away… from Shikamaru… and you know what… it worked." replied the blonde sadly.

The Kikai master's brain stuttered to a halt at that little revelation.

"She?"

"Yes… Temari did this."

---------------------------

Shibi swirled the whiskey in the glass and sighed sadly. His son was right about one thing. He didn't like it – not one bit. In fact, now that he knew the reality of the situation, it was infinitely _worse_ than the rumor.

He looked up at his son, giving him a measured look before responding, "You know, son… women can be highly unpredictable and dangerous creatures if they don't know where they stand with the men in their lives. As sad as this is, I'm really not surprised to hear that the sand woman did this to her. Shikamaru is as much to blame for this sad state of affairs. He should have been upfront with his woman about his friendship with Ino."

Shino looked at his father, mildly surprised by the older man's observation. His father was correct though – a person who was comfortable in their relationship with their lover wouldn't act like this.

"You know, son… I'm thinking once people start hearing about your relationship with Ino, Temari isn't going to be bothering your woman. I think the problem was more the fact that she was still single for so long, hn?"

He nodded thoughtfully, staring at the little patterns on the table but looked up when he heard his father's sly chuckle.

"So, my son…" began the Aburame Clan Leader.

Shino narrowed his eyes at his father then. He had a feeling that the old bug nest was going to spring something rather unpleasant on him.

"How long did Ino end up staying in our home that _first_ time?" murmured the older man snickering.

"Five days? Why?" asked Shino, clearly puzzled.

"Did she stay in your room for the entire time or did you put her in a guest room?" asked Shibi not bothering to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

Shino flushed slightly and replied, "I had offered to put her in a guest room once she was well enough to be moved...but...she preferred to stay...where she felt...safe."

"Will she feel the same way if we offer to move her into a guest room tomorrow?" asked Shibi slyly.

_Okay... he was now confused... he honestly didn't know where his father was going with this line of questioning..._

Shino frowned thoughtfully over at his father before replying after much consideration, "No, father... I know that she would probably still prefer to stay in my room."

"Well, that's most interesting, son… you realize that this will then be the _second_ occasion she has _voluntarily_ slept in your bed, right?" replied Shibi now openly grinning.

_The second… oh good lord!_

"Father – you can't be serious! That's such an old clan law… no one has put it into effect for who knows how long." protested the younger man.

"It's actually been at least two centuries since the last time we had to enact this particular law but it's still recognized as binding today." replied Shibi casually, now enjoying his son's discomfort.

Shibi was secretly thrilled by this news. This couldn't have worked out better if he had planned it! What made it even better was the fact that the young woman in question had _willingly_ sought refuge with them! His son and Ino didn't know it yet but this new situation was better than a contract because they wouldn't need the Yamanaka's permission if the young woman decided to take this option... He had a gut feeling that the man was already having regrets about agreeing so readily to a union with this family.

"Yes, Son – I'm serious… the next time you carry that woman to your bed, I will follow through on that old law and use my authority as the Clan Leader to marry you two on the spot! I suggest you tell Ino this as well." murmured the older Aburame, the evil glee evident in his tone of voice.

Shino looked over at his father then and sighed. He saw the old bug nest was extremely delighted by the unexpected turn of events but he could also see that he was very serious about this.

"I will tell her in the morning, father." murmured the young man and continued, "…but I don't know how she is going to take the news."

Shibi reached over and gave his son a comforting pat on the arm.

"Don't worry, son… I think it will be okay. Why don't you go and set up the guest room? I've a feeling that you are going to be staying in there for a while."

Shino took a large swallow of the forgotten whiskey and got up from the table.

"Son?"

The younger Aburame looked over at his father then, one eyebrow raised.

"We'll finish the rest of this discussion in the morning when Ino is awake, okay?"

Shino nodded his agreement and left the room, a little confused to how he felt about this change of events.

Shibi left the kitchen with the contracts and the clan seal in hand. It looked like he had a couple of additional scrolls he needed to write this evening in light of the new information.


	5. Sanctuary Amongst the Vermin

**Author's Note:**

Yes – it has been a while since an update…and I do apologize for that.

Recent health issues and my constant drive to improve my story, has slowed the writing process to a snail's pace.

Special thanks to my readers and reviewers for patiently waiting for the update to this story.

This story is dedicated to **Deserter** and the usual motley crew of regulars - thank you, you folks are wonderful!

A sentence in _Italics_ denotes the private thoughts of a character.

**Disclaimer:** No – I don't own Naruto or the characters… hell, I can't even afford to rent them by the hour.

_If it takes my whole life  
I won't break, I won't bend  
It will all be worth it  
Worth it in the end  
Cause I can only tell you what I know  
That I need you in my life  
When the stars have all gone out  
You'll still be burning so bright_

_Answer – Sarah McLachlan_

**Chapter 5 – Sanctuary Amongst the Vermin**

Shino quietly slipped into his bedroom and walked over to the base of his bed.

The young Aburame male felt the corner of his lips curl up into a ghost of a smile as he watched Ino reach out in her sleep, her fingers searching across the surface of the bed, only to pull her hand back in disappointment, a tiny frown marring her smooth brow.

_I miss sleeping next to you too, Ino…_

Her creamy shoulder peaked out from where the cotton yukata gapped away from her body during the night and a slim leg shifted under the surface of the cool sheets before she settled back into a deep slumber once more.

Shino continued to watch her from behind the sanctuary of his dark glasses, the longing for her stealing into the metallic depths of his eyes.

He dearly wanted to kiss that bare shoulder...but knew that wasn't a good idea...given the present circumstances.

He had tried to steal into the room last night and had hoped to slide in next to her, to hold her against his body until the early morning light streaked the sky.

Shino looked down at the folded Kimono in his hands and frowned.

_Yes… that had been his plan… but he hadn't counted on his father's devious and protective nature being out in force._

Tiny angry red bite marks dotted his large hand from where he had touched the bedroom door late last night, only to meet the persistent chaperones that the old bug nest left on the surface before he had retired for the evening.

_Yes – he had gotten his father's message loud and clear…the conventions had to be observed._

_He was to let her sleep in peace... Clan leader's orders._

"How is she?" murmured the voice of his tormentor from the doorway.

Shino looked over at his father briefly before returning his gaze back to the woman deeply asleep in the large bed.

"She's looking a little better but there are still dark circles under her eyes." murmured the younger Aburame in a concerned undertone, wanting to give into the urge to walk over to the side of the bed and tenderly push the hair out of her eyes.

"Mah, Son… I know you want to molest Inoichi's daughter in the worst way possible… but you need to give her time to recover and rest." replied Shibi slyly, not missing the dull flush that came into his son's face at his ribald comment.

"Father..." warned Shino with a small hiss, before inwardly smiling when he heard Ino's two kikai protectors hiss a warning out as well from their posts on the young woman's collar bones.

They apparently shared his sentiments and they didn't find his father's comment amusing either.

Shibi glanced over at the bed when he heard the vicious little things making a fuss and gave those two a calculating glare through the safety of his glasses.

_Never in his life had he seen such nasty, cantankerous... _

The Aburame clan abruptly halted his mental condemnation of the destruction beetles as a thought popped into his head and the sly smile returned once more to his firm lips.

_On second thought... it wasn't such a bad thing that they were so territorial._

_Anyone stupid enough to touch the woman should soon get the message loud and clear that she was claimed by an Aburame clan member._

"Son, why don't you put the kimono down on the table? We can have a chat while we get breakfast prepared for our lovely guest." murmured Shibi quietly from the safety of the doorway as the two little destruction beetles continued to hiss out a low warning.

Shino continued his silent surveillance of Ino's sleeping form before finally nodding his agreement and moving to place the kimono on a nearby low table.

_He really didn't want to leave her…but his father was correct… they still needed to talk about a couple of things before Ino woke up._

---------------------------------------------------------

"Sit, Shino….and tell me what's on your mind..." murmured the elder Aburame, amused by his son's uncharacteristic nervousness.

"Father, how do you feel about all this?" asked Shino softly.

Shibi paused in his task of putting water into the kettle and turned to face the younger man sitting at the table trying to stare a hole into the surface.

The Aburame clan leader continued to study the bowed head of his son before finally leaving the kettle on the nearby counter, walking over to the table and sitting down across from Shino.

"Shino, I'm delighted that you've found someone who loves you for who you are... and you're happy." replied Shibi quietly.

The older Aburame male listened to the erratic hum of the kikai emanating from his son for a moment and knew what he was thinking.

"You're wrong, son... I don't give a damn what the gossips think... Why the hell should I when I am one of the biggest gossips walking around this village?! Yes, this is going to take everyone by surprise but so what?! It's none of anyone's business. She's a beautiful woman and you're a lucky man... that's all that matters."

Shibi heard the rustle of his son's kikai before they finally settled down to a gentle hum.

"Father...thank you."

"Mah – no need to thank me, son... Are you worried about becoming a father?" murmured Shibi gruffly.

Shino sighed and replied, "No... I'm excited by the prospect...just never thought it would ever happen to me...that's all."

The older Aburame propped his head on an arm as he quietly countered, "Neither did I, son... Hell, I thought all my Kikai were going to desert me when you initially approached me to use the cabin."

Shino made a scoffing sound at the back of his throat as he murmured with a small smile, "Now, you're exaggerating..."

Shibi slapped a hand across his heart and exclaimed, "I am not... you wound me, Shino."

The Aburame Clan Leader felt a similar smile pull at his own lips when he heard his son mutter an obscenity under his breath at his comment.

"You did manage to surprise me though, Shino... I wasn't expecting you to bring home a woman as beautiful and according to some rumors, as feisty as Ino... Yes... I knew who she was because you had told me ...but that still didn't prepare me for the shock of seeing her for the first time last night." murmured Shibi in a serious undertone as he clasped his hands in front of his face.

"Why were you shocked, father?" replied Shino, now more than a little concerned by his father's comment.

"You do realize that her father isn't going to let her willingly have her choice... despite the fact that she's of an age to marry without permission and she's carrying your children. There are men out there that would still be prepared to marry her – just for the opportunity for an alliance with the Yamanaka Clan." responded the older Aburame, not surprised to hear his son's kikai hiss out in agitation.

"Isn't there any way we can prevent him from doing that?" asked Shino after he managed to get his destruction beetles under control.

The younger Aburame man looked up in mild surprise at his father when he heard him let out a decidedly wicked chuckle and reply, "Yes, there is one way to effectively prevent him from doing so...but it's up to Ino whether or not she wishes to pursue that avenue."

"Up to Ino?" asked Shino, a little puzzled.

Shibi reached over and placed a comforting hand on his son's shoulder, murmuring, "I spent a good deal of time last night doing some research into the matter. In order for that plan to work... it needs to be Ino's decision... we can't influence her in any way... but don't worry, son... I have a feeling that your woman has already decided that she wants to spend the rest of her life with you...despite her fears."

Shino's eyes narrowed then as he muttered in an undertone, "Exactly what are you up to, father?"

The older Aburame chuckled once more and said with a smile, "Even if Ino doesn't go for the first plan... there are still other ways to out-maneuver Inoichi, Son... In the meantime, we should really get breakfast organized. It wouldn't do to keep a pregnant woman waiting for food... not if we value our lives."

Shino stared at his father in shock before a smile touched the corner of lips and he pushed himself up and away from the table as he felt his father pull his hand away from his shoulder to get up from the table as well.

He was privately thankful that his father was such a crafty and resourceful clan leader.

_Yes – if anyone can figure out a way to out fox the Yamanaka... it was his own father._

----------------------------------------------------------

Ino walked out into the kitchen dressed in the borrowed kimono left for her and found the two Aburame males in the full swing of breakfast preparations.

She saw Shibi stop what he was doing and give her little Kikai beetles a narrowed look as they darted off their perch in search of their own meal.

Shino turned around when he felt the beetles crawl under his sleeve and walked over to the kitchen table to pull out a chair for the young woman.

"Did you sleep well?" he murmured into her ear.

She smiled, reaching up with one hand and kissed his cheek, making the younger Aburame male blush and Shibi snicker at his son's discomfort. It was clear to the Aburame Clan Leader that his son wasn't used to an audience.

"I did, thank you… but Shino, why didn't you come to bed last night?" questioned the blonde softly.

She heard the older man clear his throat then and reply, "Ahh Ino, I'm afraid to say that I am to blame for my son's absence from your side last night. A couple of things were brought to my attention that needed to be addressed this morning."

Ino looked up and felt herself getting nervous by that announcement but she was surprised to see Shibi smile gently and reply, "Relax, Ino… it will be fine. Promise."

He slid a cup of herbal tea over to the young woman as well as a piece of dry toast.

The older Aburame frowned slightly as the little watchdogs came back to roost on the blonde's shoulder blades and hissed a warning at the man.

_The little upstarts!_

"Why don't you keep those little beasts of yours occupied while you have some breakfast, then we'll meet in the study for our chat, hn?" replied Shibi.

The two men sat down on either side of the blonde and listened in wonder as she alternatively stroked and scolded the little bugs during breakfast.

The older Aburame shook his head wryly and thought to himself, "No wonder the little shits attack at the slightest provocation. It's obvious that they adore her."

-----------------------

Shibi sat down at his desk and watched behind his glasses as his son escorted the young woman to a seat. Yes – his son had it bad for the blonde and it was obvious he cherished her with every ounce of his being. It was equally obvious that Ino returned his feelings in kind. It was good to see that they were in love. This was going to make his job a little easier.

"Okay, first order of business… all bugs out of the room. Let no one in until we're finished our discussion." Announced the Aburame Clan Leader and looked over at Ino. "Those two as well, Ino."

She watched the Aburame Clan Leader release his beetles and watched them take up position on one side of the house. Shibi nodded to his son and his beetles took up position on the remaining side of the house.

"Where do you want them?" asked Ino with a cheeky grin.

Shibi grinned evilly in return. He really liked this girl's spunk!

"Outside the door. Those little terrors can ride shotgun!"

Ino looked down at the little buzzing blobs and murmured, "Well, boys… you heard Aburame-sama. I'll call you back when we're done!"

The little Kikai beetles zoomed quickly out past Shino and waited until he closed the door before assuming their positions.

Shibi waited until his son sat down before he addressed his first question to the blonde.

"Ino, it has been brought to my attention that you were a guest in our home on one other occasion." Started the Aburame Clan Leader and continued when he saw her give a hesitant nod. "When you realized that you were staying in Shino's room, was there any discussion of moving you into a guest room for the remainder of your visit?"

Shino stood up a little embarrassed by this line of questioning and was about to protest when he felt his lover's small hand on his arm. Ino shook her head and murmured placidly to the young man, "No, Shino… it's fine. He has a right to know."

The young bug wielder sat down once more but kept a hand clasped in his own.

"Yes, he had wanted to move me into another room once I gained consciousness because he was worried about my reputation but I insisted on staying there." Replied the blonde softly and added in an even softer voice. "I felt safer staying in his room and he made it clear that it was my decision to make."

Shibi looked at his son then before asking Ino, "If I was to ask you if you would prefer to be moved into a guest room, would your answer still be the same as the first occasion?"

Ino had a feeling that her response meant a great deal to the older man, so she replied honestly, "Yes, it's the same. I would rather stay in Shino's room if you don't mind."

Shibi looked down at his clasped hands, deep in contemplation over this interesting little revelation. This certainly changed the situation dramatically.

"Ino, there is an old law of the Aburame Clan that is more binding than a marriage contract. If certain conditions are met, it automatically overrides any contractual agreements. By your own admission you have voluntarily spent two separate occasions in my son's bed. There is one other condition that must be met before the law comes in effect."

Shibi got up from the desk and opened the safe hidden in the corner, pulling out a small and very ornate casket. He closed the safe and walked back to table, placing the delicate box in front of him.

Shino stood up and murmured in a low voice, "Father, no!"

The elder Aburame frowned at his son and replied, "Son, it will be fine. It's up to Ino if she wishes to follow through with this."

He hated asking the woman but it was an essential component of the law.

"Knowing what type of Clan this is, did you of your own free will enter into an intimate relationship with one of its members."

The young woman looked over at the agitated young man still standing and gently pulled him down, effectively gaining his attention. She understood what was being asked and strangely enough, she wasn't scared about the possible ramifications of her answer.

Ino reached over and carefully tugged off Shino's glasses and placed them in her lap before returning her hand back to his face.

She wanted to see his eyes when she answered the question, so he wouldn't have any doubt about her decision.

Ino brushed his lip softly with her thumb and answered the clan leader's question then.

"Yes, I did… and no, I have no regrets."

Shino felt overwhelmed by emotion then.

"Ino… you don't have to do this…" whispered the younger man, his voice cracking.

"Yes...Shino...I do. After what happened yesterday, I finally realized that I couldn't imagine life without you being there by my side... and I'm not stupid...I know despite the verbal agreement, there is an excellent chance that my father will refuse to sign the marriage contract...Yes, I know it's selfish...but I don't want to spend the rest of my life having regrets when I have a chance to be in control of my destiny for once..." replied Ino quietly as she softly stroked his cheek and watched the different emotions flit through the mercurial depths of those eyes of his.

Even Shibi looked down at the table, feeling the emotion swamp him. His son had chosen a rare woman indeed or rather, _she_ chose him.

"Shino, by your woman's own admission... she has met the conditions set out by the law."

"Ino...If you agree to this… there is no walking away. The law is binding." murmured Shino, still choked up with emotion.

She leaned forward then and tenderly touched her lips to his, shocking both men with her actions and her next words.

"Yes… Shino. I know."

---------------------------

Shibi was feeling highly emotional and that was a rarity.

The only other time he had felt like crying or even given into the urge to ball like a baby was when his beloved wife had passed on.

And now this little slip of a female was reducing him to the same state with her admissions.

The elder Aburame cleared his throat and got the attention of the kissing couple.

Shino broke away then, blushing profusely and sheepishly looked over at his partner in crime who was sporting a similar blush on her own face.

"The Sanctuary of the Kikai is an extremely old Aburame law that is held sacred by our clan. In fact, the last time it was enacted was nearly two hundred years ago. It states that any female willing to seek sanctuary or protection from a male member of our clan on three separate occasions can be bound in wedlock to that man without the permission of the Hokage or the woman's family."

Shibi gave the young woman a look of consideration before murmuring "So, do you still plan to stay in my son's room? If you do, you realize that you will be formally acknowledging that you have actively sought out sanctuary with him and this will be recognized as the second occasion you have willingly done so."

Ino looked down at her belly then and gently stroked it, a small smile tugging at her lips before she looked back at the clan leader. The significance of that action wasn't lost on either man.

"It's my decision, right?" asked the blonde.

The Aburame clan leader nodded and replied, "Yes – if you decide on following through in accordance with the law, a marriage will take place after the acknowledgment of the third granting of sanctuary. The marriage contract just completed will be in effect null and void. Your parents won't be obligated to provide a dowry for you and your groom won't be obligated to give you a groom's gift."

Shibi had to admire the young woman's courage at even considering this course of action.

He watched Ino behind his glasses as she turned to his son and looked at him in quiet contemplation, just holding his hand. Shino was nervous but he knew that it was ultimately her decision.

"So, does Shino have to move out of the bedroom indefinitely or can he share it with me?" came the quiet and calmly spoken response.

Shibi felt the grin threatening to break out on his face.

_Naughty girl!_

"My son can stay if that is your wish and it will be considered part of the second sanctuary granting... until such time you decide to exercise your right to seek sanctuary from my son once more." replied the Aburame Clan Leader slyly.

"That is my wish."

------------------------

Shibi was secretly delighted with the woman's decision. If anything, it cemented her position in the clan by electing to enact the Sanctuary of the Kikai Law. The last time a woman gave up everything for an Aburame male was almost two centuries ago.

The clan was going to be enthralled with the romanticism of the situation and the village was going to be rocked with the biggest scandal they had experienced in decades. This was guaranteed to easily eclipse the sorry incident involving Ino and Shikamaru Nara. Yes – the Aburame Clan Leader couldn't be more pleased with this unexpected turn of events.

Hell – he was going to be in for free drinks for a long time for the strength of this gossip alone!

Shibi looked over at his son and smiled broadly. The younger Aburame had finally given into his emotions. The young woman was now in his son's lap and wrapped up in his arms, her head cradled on his shoulder.

The elder Aburame pulled out the small pile of official scrolls that he spent the remainder of the night working on just in the hopes that Ino would choose this option and placed them near the ornate casket.

He heard some shuffling while he was busy retrieving the marriage contracts from another drawer and looked up after a while. He was relieved to see that his son had regained his composure and they were back in their own seats, waiting for him.

"Ino, do you still wish to enact the Sanctuary of the Kikai Law?" asked the Aburame Clan Leader, giving the young woman one last chance to back out of it.

Ino had felt a wonderful sense of calm come over her the moment she had woken up and instinctively knew that she would be safe with these men.

Not once had the Aburame men made her feel uncomfortable during this discussion but rather made it clear to her that she held all the cards and she was in effect, mistress of her destiny.

Ino had never been more certain about a decision in her life than the one she was about to make.

The young woman nodded calmly and said, "Yes – that's my choice and that's what I want to do."

-----------------------------

Shino looked at his lover, stunned and secretly amazed at the level of sacrifice she was prepared to make to be with him. He vowed then and there that she would always know that her decision wasn't one that she would ever have cause to regret.

Shibi watched the young woman proudly from the haven of his sunglasses and knew he too would do what was needed to make sure she was happy within this clan.

The Aburame Clan leader gestured for his son to come to the table.

"Shino, it seems that we will not be using the marriage contracts after all. Why don't you put them in the fireplace now and set fire to them." replied Shibi in a deceptively calm voice.

Ino watched her lover put the contracts into a large kettle in the fireplace and set them on fire before replacing the lid.

Shino sat back down and reached for her hand, gently caressing it with his thumb.

Shibi waited for them to get comfortable once more before addressing the matter at hand.

"In order for the Sanctuary of the Kikai Law to be in effect, two things need to happen.

You need to be presented to our clan and then we need to formally notify the other clans and the Hokage of your decision to voluntarily seek sanctuary with the Aburame Clan."

Shibi stood up and picked up the ornate casket sitting on the corner of his desk and walked over to the young couple.

"In order for our clan to be assured of your sincerity in being a member of the Aburame, there is a special ring unique to this law." continued the elder Aburame in a conversational tone.

He knelt down and opened the casket in front of the couple.

"Ohhhh." whispered Ino. She'd never seen anything so beautiful. It was a large oval sapphire in the shape of a Kikai, surrounded by tinier Kikai beetles in white diamonds.

Shino reached in and carefully removed the delicate ring. He gently grasped her left hand and slid the ring onto the ring finger. Both Aburame men looked at each other in complete shock as it glided up the young woman's finger, a perfect fit.

Ino lifted her hand up and admired the ring in the light and murmured, "It's so beautiful. Is it supposed to feel so comfortable?"

Shibi cleared his throat, suddenly all choked up and replied, "It's only comfortable for those worthy of bearing the Aburame name, Ino."

The young woman watched the clan leader slowly get up and walk back over to his chair.

She was further confused when she saw him suspiciously wipe at his eyes before answering the unspoken question he saw in her eyes.

"The last time that ring was worn was nearly two centuries ago by a young woman in a similar position to your own. She too made the same decision you just made today. It's an excellent omen that it feels like that. It has always been rumored that the ring is enchanted. The fit of the ring apparently signified the purity of the woman's soul. If she had put all her heart and soul in her decision, the ring would fit perfectly."

Ino looked at the delicate ring on her finger and sighed. It was certainly a romantic tale.

She felt a hand on top of hers and she turned to find her lover smiling sweetly at her, his glasses back on his face.

Shibi smiled at the couple and said, "Well, Ino… you may as well call in those two little hellions of yours before we go and call the clan together."

Shino walked over to the door and opened it a crack.

Ino was about to call them when she saw the older Aburame shake his head and gently murmured, "You need to learn to call them mentally, Ino… try it." She understood what he meant. There were going to be times when talking wouldn't be an option.

The two Kikai beetles zoomed in and settled into the hollows of the young woman's collar bones.

Shibi shook his head at the little beetles and then stood up. He was about to walk over to his son when he heard the little perverts do something he never heard a Kikai do before.

Shino heard it too and looked down to see the two Kikai now crawling over the ring. They were cooing.

--------------------------

Father and son flanked the young woman as they made their way to the front of the large house to the clan meeting place.

They made a startling procession as they walked through the massive Aburame compound. The beautiful blonde dressed in the delicate Aburame Kimono with a tall Aburame male in high collared jackets and dark sunglasses on either side of her.

The men called their beetles back to them as they got closer to the meeting area but were perplexed when the Kikai fell in behind the young woman rather than returning to their bug hosts.

They could hear a lot of murmuring now that they were closer. Apparently the sight of the destruction beetles barricading the main house had caused quite a stir and there was conjecture as to what was going on.

Shino looked down at his lover as they stepped into the covered meeting area and wasn't surprised to hear the noise die down to a muted silence.

Shibi quickly scanned the group and was satisfied to see everyone had turned up at the sudden summons. The elders were clustered in the back of the room waiting patiently.

He could see by their faces that they were all curious to find out what was going on and equally curious of why the beautiful blonde was flanked by the clan leader and heir.

They were stunned when they saw two little Kikai flit off a very ornate and rare ring to land in the hollows of her shoulders. The clan got a further shock when they saw the Aburame Heir reach for the young woman's hand with the ring. The whispers started in earnest, with shrouded eyes darting over the couple from time to time.

Shibi cleared his throat and addressed the clan, "Ino Yamanaka has expressed the desire to enact the Sanctuary of the Kikai and has voluntarily sought protection from my son, Shino Aburame."

The clan broke out in excited whispers then at this news. Everyone knew that the law hadn't been acted on in nearly two hundred years.

One of the elders of the clan shuffled to the front of the room and reached for the young woman's hand.

The two Kikai hissed a warning but Ino managed to get them under control.

The old woman looked at the little protectors in surprise and then grinned in delight at their significance.

"Are they little boys, girls or one of each?" asked the Aburame elder softly, gesturing to the little Kikai on the young woman's shoulders.

"Oh! Rex and Spike are both boys…" replied Ino grinning.

"Ahh… you named them too, eh?" chuckled the old woman, slyly looking over at the Aburame Clan Leader, who was also smiling slyly behind his collar.

"Could you raise your hand with the ring on it for me? Your little boys will attack if they feel I am going to hurt you." murmured the elder.

Shino's hand dropped away from hers as she raised it high enough for the old woman to see. Ino watched the old woman slide the ring off her hand slightly, only to push it smoothly back into place. She raised an eyebrow at the Aburame Clan Leader and watched him give a slight nod in response before bowing her thanks to the young woman and returning to her place in the back.

She felt Shino take hold of her hand as she watched the group of elders cluster around in a group, evidently deep in discussion.

She saw the old woman raise two fingers and nod sagely to the rest of the group.

"Shino…" whispered the young woman, "What's going on?"

Shibi answered the question. "The elders are now discussing the sanctuary agreement. They just needed to verify that you are indeed wearing the ring."

The two little Kikai chose at that moment to make their feelings known on the matter. They flit back down on the ring and started cooing. The clan leader and the heir were greatly surprised to hear their own beetles start cooing.

The old woman looked up when she heard the sound and shuffled over to the group in a hurry as more and more Kikai beetles in the large meeting space started to coo as well. She was careful to stay away from Ino's beetles but looked directly at the clan leader and asked, "When did this first happen?"

"Her Kikai shortly after we put the ring on her finger and ours, just now." Murmured Shibi.

She looked at the two kikai and watched them coo once again. The two Aburame males beetles joined in the cooing.

The room was starting to fill the noise of cooing destruction beetles once more.

Two more elders shuffled over when they too heard the beetles and nodded.

"Shibi, tell the clan we accept the young woman's request for sanctuary and send out the messengers. We will join you in the formal sitting room shortly."

----------------------

The Aburame Clan were greatly excited at the prospect of seeing the Sanctuary of the Kikai Law put into effect during their lifetime. A woman giving up everything just to join a bug clan was romantic stuff. Messengers were swiftly dispatched to the respective clans and the Hokage.

Shibi, Shino and Ino sat in the formal sitting room waiting for the elders to arrive. They were confused as to why the elders needed to talk to them privately.

They were about to stand when the elders shook their heads and gestured for them to stay seated.

The old woman spoke, "Shibi, we would prefer if all beetles went out of the room for this discussion." The Aburame clan leader nodded and his bugs left the room to again prevent anyone from disturbing them. Everyone in the room slowly released their beetles until only Ino's remained in the room.

"Same as before?" asked the young woman, only to hear, "No, not hers… they stay."

Shino got some of his to guard the door before he slid it closed then joined the group at the table.

"What's this about?" Shino quietly asked.

"It's okay, Son… the elders will explain it all soon, I'm sure." Replied Shibi and was relieved to see the elderly woman nod her head in response.

"Young woman, can you place your hand with the ring on the table, please?" requested the female Aburame Elder.

Ino complied with the request, only to have the two little Kikai flit down onto the ring's surface and start cooing again.

The elders watched in excitement over the little Kikai's antics and they started talking in excited whispers amongst themselves.

They could now hear Shino's destruction beetles on the other side of the door beginning to coo as well.

"What's wrong with those beetles?" asked the Aburame Clan Leader, now frowning openly at the Clan Elders as the noise got progressively louder around the surrounding compound.

"Her Kikai have accepted her claim to the Sanctuary gladly and your combined beetles are in agreement with their wishes. The others are now raising their voices in support." replied the old woman with a small smile.

"Wait. Are you telling me that the Sanctuary of the Kikai is determined by the beetles and not the clan?" murmured Shibi, a little surprised.

"Yes…it's always been the case with that particular law – hence its name." murmured one of the male elders.

"Will they continue to do that?" asked Shino a little worried. He wasn't really relishing the idea of using cooing beetles on a mission.

"No – they will keep cooing until the sanctuary is formalized." Replied the old woman.

The Aburame Clan Leader and his Heir looked at each other then, clearly perplexed.

"Formalized?"

----------------------------

One of the elders produced a small container and an ornate dish, placing it before the cooing beetles still on the ring.

A buzzing could be heard as the bugs allowed the Aburame clan member through the barricade with what suspiciously looked liked the makings of a traditional tea ceremony.

The clan member placed the tray near the two little Kikai on the ring but soon fled in terror when those two hissed ominously at the young woman.

The group in the room chuckled as the frightened woman made her hurried exit from the room.

"Are they always that intimidating?" asked the old woman to the clan leader.

Shibi nodded and pulled up the sleeve of one arm, showing the elders angry red welts from his own experience with the Kikai beetles.

The old woman nodded sagely upon viewing an example of the two little beetle's ferocity.

Ino gasped at the damage on the Aburame Clan Leader's arm and scowled at the little beetles still cooing. "Now, boys… that wasn't very nice!"

"It's to their credit that they are so vicious, dear. The more nasty the bug, the better protection they will be to their host's woman." replied the old woman with a soft smile.

Tea was formally served then by one of the Elders to everyone seated. Ino watched in surprise as the old woman opened the lid of the container and carefully scooped out a tiny amount of the paste into the dish before the Kikai.

The group watched the little beetles hop off their perch and land onto the rim of the dish before disappearing into the bowl. The Kikai slowly devoured the offering, which seemed to be a signal for everyone at the table to drink as well.

Ino sipped the hot brew carefully and was surprised by the sweet taste.

The old woman saw her surprise and softly commented, "Your condition dictated that we use the alternative tea for the ceremony rather than the usual."

Ino blushed and nodded. She heard a soft chuckle from across the table.

"Don't be embarrassed, child. It's the presence of the Kikai that told me."

A high chirping filled the room then, followed by the surprised chuckles of the Aburame assembled around the table.

Ino was confused until a smiling Shino murmured in her ear, "They want more of the paste before they are willing to make a formal agreement. They say that even their bug host isn't that stingy!"

Shibi shook his head at the Kikai's antics and muttered with a small scowl, "Little Rogues!"

----------------------------

The sound of the Kikai purring in contentment back on the ring seemed to signal the next phase of the agreement, when one of the elders produced an old scroll and a small container of an ink-like substance.

The little scroll was unfurled on the table and the ink was poured out in a shallow container for the beetles.

Shino and Shibi looked at each other in shock when they saw two beetle signatures on the document, stunned by the revelation that the last woman who had made this particular agreement with the clan had also been protected by two kikai.

Shibi darted a look over at the elders and wasn't surprised to see them smiling. _They knew this!_

The more vocal of the two beetles went first and sucked up a small portion of the ink before crawling over to the scroll. The old woman put a finger on the area where the beetle needed to sign.

They watched in silence as the two beetles took their turns in signing the document.

Shino was dismayed to hear his father getting emotional until he saw the last names listed for each beetle was the same.

"Rex Ozuru Brewster and Spike Yemon Brewster." Murmured the Aburame Clan Leader in wonderment. The two beetles shared the same grandfather. Shino's mother's own Kikai to be exact. It was definitely a sign of his late wife's approval of Shino's choice of life mate.

The two kikai returned to the ring and waited for the elders to complete the ritual.

The elders then turned the small scroll around and place it in front of the blonde.

"Place your right thumb into the ceremonial ink and press it on the document below where your Kikai beetles signed." Murmured the old woman.

Ino did as the woman requested, encouraged by the happy sounds of her Kikai.

The Aburame Clan Leader and Heir watched on in silence as the clan elders carefully dried and sanded the new signatures before rolling the document back up.

"The sanctuary document signing is now complete." Quietly intoned one of the male elders, only to be interrupted by a curious high pitched warbling coming from Ino's Kikai beetles.

Shino's beetles outside the door soon joined in with the strange chirping and the sound got louder as more beetles added their voices to the noise.

"What's going on?" asked Ino.

"It's the Kikai way of announcing that the sanctuary documents have been properly formalized." Replied another male elder, awed by the sound of the beetles.

"Noisy little beasts." Muttered Shibi.

_Who knew Kikai had such a sense of ceremony?_

_-------------------------------------- _

Emiko sat nervously on the edge of her seat, trying to think of a way to make her husband change his mind.

_This was bad..._

She knew that her daughter had her heart set on the tall quiet man from the bug wielding clan but it seemed that her husband had decided late last night that he wasn't going to sign the Marriage Contract when it showed up.

"Why are you determined to refuse Shino's offer to marry our daughter when it's obvious they love each other?" asked Emiko.

Inoichi turned back to look at his wife sitting on the small sofa and growled, "If you think that I am going to let a clan of vermin carriers call all the shots... you're sadly mistaken... Besides, there are men out there that would welcome an alliance with our clan despite Ino's unfortunate condition." replied Inoichi with a small growl.

Emiko turned her face away from her husband, a little sickened by his logic and whispered, "So...rather than let your daughter be happy... you're going to marry her off to some man for the sake of a better alliance for the clan."

The Yamanaka frowned when he heard his wife's soft condemnation of his actions and coldly replied, "Emiko... clan business needs to take priority and I have determined after giving the matter serious thought last night that an alliance with a clan like the Aburame isn't in our best interests. I will informing the Aburame of my decision when he shows up with the marriage contracts."

Emiko slumped forward then and knew that it would be useless to argue with her husband when he was in this mood.

_I'm so sorry, Ino...I tried._

Emiko looked up in shock as she heard the rap on the front door and watched her husband walk over to the front door with a self satisfied smirk on his face muttering, "Well, they're eager... I'll give them that."

She watched with wide eyes as Inoichi opened the door to allow the Aburame Clan member with the ornate sash hanging off one shoulder into the house.

_Something wasn't right about this... she didn't know what it was but..._

"Tell your Clan Leader that he is wasting his time with the Yamanaka Clan. I have decided that I will not be signing a marriage contract between our two clans." replied Inoichi coldly to the Aburame clan member who merely shrugged and handed over a scroll with a small quirk of his lips before bowing slightly and taking his leave of the Yamanaka residence.

"Arrogant bastards... I told him that we were refusing to sign the contract and he still hands it to me..." growled Inoichi as he continued to glare at the back of the Aburame Clan member now walking out the door and down the short garden path without a backward glance.

Inoichi looked down at the scroll in his hand for a moment before stomping off to the direction of his study.

Emiko watched him in silence as he disappeared down the small hallway and slammed the door behind him before she quickly got to her feet and slipped out the door to chase after the messenger.

"Please... wait." called out Emiko, a little agitated by this situation, only to be surprised when the man paused and turned to face her with a slight bow.

"Mrs. Yamanaka...Aburame-sama asked me to deliver this into your hands and asks that you forgive him for his deception." murmured the Aburame Clan messenger, slipping a small scroll into the woman's hands before turning to leave once more.

Emiko looked down at the small scroll with a mixture of alarm and dread as the man suddenly disappeared with a flicker.

_Deception?_

Her eyes widened in alarm as she heard her husband's roar rattling the windows of the house then and quickly slipped the small scroll inside the folds of her yukata to read later.

The door rattled on its hinges as Inoichi opened it up with barely controlled violence thrumming through his veins.

"Those bastards... how dare they do this to me! Emiko... if Ino comes here while I'm seeing the Hokage, you are to make her wait until I return home." growled Inoichi before stalking off in the direction of the Hokage's office.

Emiko waited for her husband's form to disappear before she fished out the small scroll to read its contents.

_Mrs. Yamanaka,_

_I had hoped that we would have been introduced under more favorable circumstances than these but sadly that is not the case._

_I am afraid to say that I am responsible for your daughter making the choice she did._

_I provided your daughter with another option that would allow her the freedom to choose and she decided to take it.._

_Ino decided this morning to exercise her right to enact a clan law unique to us called "The Sanctuary of the Kikai"._

_Your husband is now on his way to the Hokage's office to see if he can break our clan law but will be soon finding out just how difficult that will be._

_The bad news is as a result of your daughter's actions, she has effectively turned her back on her clan by asking the Aburame Clan for protection._

_I don't need to tell you what this means._

_However... _

_If you feel the need to visit your daughter, I won't prevent you from doing so._

_I leave the decision up to you, Mrs. Yamanaka._

_Sincerely,_

_Shibi Aburame_

"Oh...Ino... baby... I'm so sorry we pushed you into this situation." murmured Emiko saddened by the decision her daughter was forced to make.

_No...she didn't blame her child for doing what she did._

Emiko sighed and started rolling the scroll up but abruptly stopped when she saw a separate piece of paper flutter out and drift down to the ground.

She frowned as she bent down and picked up the small scrap of parchment, surprised to see a detailed map with directions on how to get to the Aburame Compound.

Emiko stared at the piece of paper for a while before a small smile tipped the corner of her lips.

_There was nothing she could do about this... it was done... but there was something she could still do for her daughter to show her that she had her mother's full support._

The blonde woman turned and walked back up the front steps and into the house.

_She had things she needed to do while her husband was otherwise occupied at the Hokage's office._

_-------------------------------------- _

_Hokage's Office_

Tsunade was alternatively grumbling and cursing the inordinate amount of paperwork on her desk when there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" grumped the stressed Hokage.

"Messenger from the Aburame Clan." Called out one of the guards.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at this and wondered what that troublemaker Shibi was up to. She had a feeling the message was going to be worth of the price of admission alone.

"Tell him to come in." replied the Hokage.

The Aburame clan member came into the office dressed in formal Aburame attire and wearing an official sash of the clan on his arm. Tsunade held out a hand for the scroll as she continued to appraise the messenger.

The Aburame clan member left the office as the Hokage slowly read through the contents of the scroll. Her eyes got wider and wider as she read more of the scroll.

_Holy Shit! She was reading what amounted to the scandal of the century!_

"Shisune! I want you to get a team of Anbu up here! It seems that we are going to have a visit from the Yamanaka shortly. Also – I want you to grab a law scroll from the archives - The Aburame Clan's Sanctuary of the Kikai." Called out Tsunade and then added, "Shisune - get Sakura Haruno from the Hospital and tell her I need to see her."

Tsunade chuckled evilly to herself. She was going to have to buy Shibi Aburame a lot of sake to hear this particular gossip.

--------------------------

Sakura walked into the Hokage's office more than a little curious over the sudden summons to Sensei's side.

"Ah, Sakura… why don't you close the door and come sit down. There is something I need to ask you." Greeted Tsunade a little too cheerfully.

_Something wasn't right._

"Sakura I have a strange question to ask you before we receive an unwanted visitor and I need you to answer it honestly." Murmured the Hokage in a careful tone.

"During the last twelve months, was there any time you noticed your friend Ino missing for an extended amount of time – say longer than a couple of days…" asked the Hokage vaguely.

Sakura frowned at that strange question and then replied, "Yes, there was that time after Shikamaru announced his engagement. She was gone for better part of a week and no one knew where she had disappeared to. Why?"

"It seems that your friend has invoked her right to enact what is known as Sanctuary of the Kikai. Since you have just confirmed what the Aburame Clan Leader has stated in his message, it looks like Ino is going to cause the scandal to end all scandals." Returned the Hokage.

"The Sanctuary of the Kikai? I don't understand." Replied the pink-haired woman clearly puzzled.

"It's an ancient law unique to the Aburame Clan that's still considered legal and binding despite the fact it's been enforced only on a couple of other occasions in the past. It essentially allows a woman the right to marry into the bug clan without the interference of the Hokage or her family. Is there a reason why your blonde friend would wish to follow through on something like that?" replied Tsunade in an oh so casual tone, still perusing the open scroll before her.

Sakura's eyes widened like saucers as she understood what Ino had done. It could have meant only one thing. The chat with her parents hadn't gone smoothly.

"Yes, I'm afraid I do, Sensei. I just confirmed Ino's pregnancy three days ago and I have a feeling that her father was most likely unhappy with the news." Replied the young woman, a feeling of dread sinking into her stomach.

"The father of Ino's baby is a member of the Aburame clan then?" questioned the Hokage.

"You could say the father is actually the Heir of the clan, Sensei…" replied the pinkette with a small smile to her lips.

Tsunade leaned forward and gave an unholy grin, "You don't say?! No wonder that old bug nest is up to his scheming best."

They could hear loud noises coming from outside the building. Tsunade looked down into the street, not surprised to see the Inoichi Yamanaka growling under his breath as he made his way up the street.

"It seems that we're going to have some company, Sakura…" murmured the Hokage and then asked, "You want to stick around for the fireworks?"

Sakura grinned and agreed to stay.

_She wouldn't miss this for all the tea in China!_

----------------------------

The Anbu stationed at the Hokage's door effectively stopped the irate Yamanaka Clan Leader from barging into the office.

"Let me in! I need to talk to the Hokage!" growled Inoichi.

"You can come in only if you agree to settle down, Yamanaka!" growled back a female voice from the bowels of the office.

"I do." Grouched the large man grudgingly before the Anbu silently moved out of his way to allow him access.

Inoichi prowled into the office, stopping suddenly when he spied Sakura's presence in the room.

"I asked Dr. Haruno, your daughter's physician, to stay while we have our chat. Do you have an objection to this?" queried the Hokage, one eyebrow raised.  
The Yamanaka swallowed convulsively at that unwelcome news and shook his head.

"Inoichi, why don't you sit down and tell me what's going on?" asked Tsunade in a deceptively casual tone.

"My daughter Ino has made some kind of agreement with that bug clan and I want it broken." Snarled the large man.

"I don't believe the Sanctuary of the Kikai can be broken, Inoichi. It's a very old law unique to the Aburame Clan." murmured the Hokage in a conciliatory tone.

There was a knock on the door and Shisune craned her head around the door frame.

"Hokage, I have that scroll you requested." Murmured the assistant.

"Excellent, Shisune. Please bring it in." smiled Tsunade.

Shisune brought in the scroll and placed it on the table. Sakura looked on with great interest as the Hokage perused the official looking document.

"Ahh… I see. This law is _very_ unusual, in more ways than one." Murmured the older woman.

"What do you mean?" gruffed the Yamanaka Clan Leader, not liking the sound of this.

"Your daughter has offered to enter into a union with the Aburame clan of her own free will, independent of the wishes of her own clan or the Hokage. It effectively protects the woman's right to choice." Replied the Hokage casually.

"It lets the woman decide? What kind of a law is that?" countered the large man.

"Inoichi, I understand that Ino and the Aburame Heir had paid you a visit the other day. Apart from the destruction beetles, did you notice anything different in the way he treated your daughter?" asked the older woman.

Inoichi frowned slightly then remarked, "Now that you mention it, he treated my daughter like she was a rare treasure."

"Aburame males have a tendency to treat their women extremely well, on account that the Kikai are not a huge selling point." Commented the Hokage slyly then continued, "They are not going to willingly give up a woman who _wants_ to be with a member of their clan."

"The other unique aspect of this law that makes it binding is the contract is not with the Clan itself but rather with the Kikai that serve the Clan." murmured Tsunade, waiting for the coin to drop in the man's mind.

"Are you saying my daughter made a pact with vermin?" spluttered Inoichi.

Sakura stood up then and glared at her friend's father. "I would be careful what you say, Yamanaka-sama. Your grandchildren will be carrying those same beetles you are criticizing. Ino can't have better protection than what Shino will provide for his family and those bugs make it possible."

Tsunade's eyes widened fractionally as she understood what Sakura just revealed. Ino Yamanaka was not expecting just _one_ child…

_Well, well… She really did need to buy the proud grandpa to be a few rounds…_

The Hokage kept reading the document before her and asked her student casually, "Sakura, according to this document, the sanctuary agreement is formalized by the woman's Kikai. Were you aware that Ino had destruction beetles that belonged solely to her?"

Sakura chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, then suddenly grinned, "You must mean Rex and Spike… her little companions."

Tsunade grinned knowingly at that information and looked down at the document again.

There it was – a kikai for each child present, the sex of the kikai indicates the sex of the child.

_Twin boys!_

It was now patently clear to the leader of the leaf village that Shibi Aburame was giving the Yamanaka a clear message that he was fully intending to employ every trick in his arsenal to protect and claim his grandchildren... and she had to admit this plan was extremely clever.

Tsunade steepled her fingers in front of her, deep in thought as she silently admired the man's level of deviousness.

"Hokage, are you telling me that there is nothing that I can do about this?" huffed a disgusted Inoichi Yamanaka.

Tsunade looked up with a sour expression firmly planted on her features at the disgruntled clan leader as she coldly replied, "Mah, Yamanaka... you lost this battle the moment you decided to oppose the Aburame's offer of a marriage contract between your two clans... Now instead of losing a little pride and accepting his offer for an honorable alliance with an old and noble clan, you've lost your daughter and your grandsons as a result of your stupidity."

The hokage watched dispassionately as the man before her digested her words and watched the horror and dismay creep into his features.

"You mean that...I've lost...my little girl? I'll...never see...my grandsons...grow up?" whispered the man in a broken voice.

Sakura turned her face away, a little upset at the crushed look on the Yamanaka's face.

Tsunade pushed herself up to a standing position then and snarled, "Pull yourself together, Inoichi! You were the one who decided he was going to be an ass and refuse the contract without a fair hearing... If you wish to salvage a relationship with your daughter, I suggest that you go home and figure out a way to come to a suitable compromise between your two clans. You will find that Shibi Aburame can be a reasonable man to deal with, but I warn you now, Yamanaka-sama...you're going to lose if you continue to be difficult about this."

Inoichi stared at the bristling blonde woman in front of him for a few more moments before finally giving a slight nod of his head.

The two women watched as the large blonde man walked over to the door and out of the room without another word.

They stared at the closed door for a long time before Sakura finally murmured, "What do you think he's going to do now, Sensei?"

Tsunade glanced over at her apprentice before turning her gaze back at the door and replied with a small smirk to her lips, "Pah... men – so damn predictable... don't worry, Sakura... your friend's father will come up with a suitable plan to redeem himself in his daughter's eyes... he just needed to be reminded of what is important in his life..."


	6. Word Gets Around

**Author's Note:**

My apologies on the delay of the release of the new chapter but if you've been reading my stories long enough, you already know that I'm about quality rather than quantity.

Special thanks to **wonderwoman29** for being my human guinea pig and giving it a read before I did the posting.

So – without further interruptions… here's another installment of Shino and Ino goodness for your enjoyment.

A sentence in _Italics_ denotes the private thoughts of a character.

**Disclaimer:** Yep – you got it. I don't own it. I don't make a profit from this either. I just do this out of lurv. Enjoy, beautiful people, enjoy.

_So, if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive  
Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive?_

_It's driven me before and it seems to be the way  
that everyone else gets around.  
But lately I'm beginning to find that when  
I drive myself my light is found._

Drive - Incubus

**Chapter 6 – Word gets around**

The Hokage stared out of the window, deep in thought. The situation with the Yamanaka still lingered prominently in her mind long since the man's dramatic departure.

Her beloved apprentice had left an hour ago and was planning to go over to the Aburame Compound this evening to check on Ino and let her know about this afternoon's meeting with her father.

It was going to be interesting to see how the other clans view Ino Yamanaka's choice to leave her own clan ties behind to formally embrace those of her lover. She personally didn't see what the fuss was... women usually became a member of their husband's clan when they married anyway.

The Hyuugas for one were more than likely to view the whole business as sad and sordid.

They had always viewed the Aburame Clan as beneath them, despite the fact that Hinata had been in the same cell with Shino when they were younger.

Tsunade personally felt that the young woman couldn't have picked a better man than the Aburame Heir. Yes – Ino was going to be just fine being cosseted by those two Aburame males in the main house.

Shibi Aburame for all of his love of village gossip, a cup of fine sake and the odd wild wager, was essentially a loyal family man with a deep respect for his village and clan.

She knew that if there was a potential problem that would prevent his son's happiness, the crafty old devil could always be trusted to find a way to get around it. The Hokage had to admit that suggesting to Ino that she could invoke her right to enact the Sanctuary of the Kikai was a stroke of brilliance. No one was going to want to take on a bunch of destruction beetles just to try and break a contract.

Tsunade stared off into the distance, an odd smile to her face. She knew she would hear from the old beetle nest before too long, but right now, he was up to his fine neck in potential scandal fodder and having a great time being in the thick of things.

_Yes – Shibi, you have a lot of gossip to fill me in on…_

-----------------------

The woman managed to find the large Aburame Compound, thanks to the excellent directions that were in the message scroll addressed to her.

Emiko was nervously shifting her enormous hand bag, standing at the large ornate gates. She wasn't sure whether the Aburame would allow her to visit her daughter now that she had effectively walked away from her own clan.

She was soon dispelled of that silly notion as soon as she stepped through the gates and heard a cheery male voice proclaim, "Ino, you better bring your mother inside before she thinks she's not welcome in our home."

A cloud of beetles came out of the front door then, followed by her daughter's voice, "Mother, I'm coming but I am not allowed to run. These two would have my hide if I hurt myself."

She could hear the smile in Ino's voice and knew she was happy being around the Aburame Clan Leader and his son.

Two little destruction beetles buzzed out the door before Emiko saw her daughter appear, grinning on the arm of Shino.

Emiko smiled broadly at the sight of Ino in the pretty kimono coming towards her.

"Ahh, Ino. How are you feeling? I was so worried about you when you left yesterday." murmured the older woman with a worried tone in her voice.

"Mother, I was feeling much better this morning." replied Ino calmly.

Emiko didn't miss the way her daughter worded that but she wasn't about to ruin her good mood by probing her with questions.

She looked up to see an older version of Shino standing on the front landing of the house patiently waiting for everyone to come back inside. She knew she had this man to thank for suggesting to Ino the option she elected to take that would essentially give her daughter her heart's desire.

Emiko watched the young couple travel up the stairs, occasionally scolding the two little beetles that seemed to follow her girl around and smiled at their obvious happiness.

She waited for the couple to disappear into the house before she addressed Shino's father.

"Mr. Aburame, I am happy to make your acquaintance. I'm Emiko Yamanaka." said the older woman, bowing slightly in greeting.

"Please call me Shibi. Let's not sit on formalities when your daughter will soon be part of my family. Can I call you Emiko or would you prefer Mrs. Yamanaka?" replied the clan leader smoothly, returning her bow.

"Please call me Emiko. Shibi, tell me the truth. Is Ino okay? She wasn't in the best of shape when she left our house yesterday and I have been so worried sick about her." murmured Emiko anxiously.

"Why don't we go inside and get comfortable with some tea? We can have a nice long chat, hn?" countered Shibi.

The older woman shot him a look of gratitude and replied, "Thank you. Tea sounds wonderful."

-------------------------------

Emiko and Shibi sat in an airy sitting room, comfortably drinking tea and chatting about their children.

"She looks very happy, Shibi. Thank you." murmured the blonde woman before taking a sip of her tea.

"Emiko, I didn't do anything. It was ultimately her choice to make." countered Shibi, smiling warmly at his guest.

"Uh, Shibi… now that Ino was effectively removed herself from her clan, is it permissible for me to visit her? I'm afraid I am not clear on the guidelines of the sanctuary law." asked Emiko, the worry apparent in her voice.

Shibi smiled slightly and murmured, "Emiko – come and visit your daughter as often as you want. You don't need to worry that I am going to forcibly eject you from the Compound."

"I tried to persuade Shino to stay a while longer yesterday but he said he needed to get back here to take care of some formalities. Shibi, be honest with me. Ino was in bad shape when she arrived here last night, wasn't she?" queried Emiko.

She watched the Aburame Clan Leader take a sip of his tea before he answered with a small sigh, "Yes, I'm afraid so, Emiko. She was clearly exhausted, experiencing bad morning sickness and the stress of telling your husband really did the poor girl in."

Emiko sipped her tea deep in thought before replying, "Well, it's a good thing that Ino decided to make this choice then… my husband wasn't going to approve a union between our clans."

"Ahh… had a change of heart, did he? I'm sorry to hear that, Emiko. I imagine your husband is currently speaking with the Hokage trying to figure out a loophole in this law of ours, hn?" murmured Shibi slyly.

Emiko grinned and took a sip of her tea then commented, "Yes, I'm afraid so. He really wasn't thrilled when your clan messenger showed up."

Shibi clucked his tongue and said, "That is a real shame. I take it the directions were easy to follow?"

Emiko liked this man. It looked like her daughter had fallen in with a good clan.

"Yes, they were most helpful... I don't believe I would have found this place without them. " said Emiko with a broad smile.

"Yes… we are hard to find but we prefer living out here on the outskirts of the village." mused the Aburame Clan Leader.

Emiko took another sip of her tea and worriedly asked, "Since Ino elected to take this option – our family isn't obligated to provide a dowry for her. Is that correct?"

Shibi sipped his tea before answering the beautiful woman, "Yes, I'm afraid that is indeed the case. You don't get rewarded for turning your back on your clan. I wouldn't worry though because your daughter is going to be well provided for."

Emiko gave the man a measured look before carefully asking, "If I chose to provide a dowry for my daughter, would that be permissible?"

It was good to see that Ino had such a loving mother.

"Yes, that is acceptable. I am sure she will be delighted with the gesture." replied the clan leader.

Shibi took a sip of his tea as the woman reached into her bag then and pulled out two separate packages. It was clear to the clan leader that she had been collecting one item for a number of years as the paper was faded in places.

_They say that __**I'm**__ crafty! He obviously had nothing on this woman's resourcefulness._

"Since these are mine to give, I wish to provide these items for my daughter's dowry when she is ready to marry your son." replied Emiko in a calm voice.

_She really was a clever one! Any items that were personal could be freely given without the clan getting upset._

Emiko slid the two items across the table to give to the clan leader.

Shibi unwrapped the brown paper on the larger item, carefully removing the wooden chest from its confines.

It soon became apparent why the older woman had been carrying such a large hand bag.

The Aburame unlatched the chest and lifted the lid before looking over in shock at the woman who suddenly seemed absorbed in the act of drinking her tea.

This woman really loved her daughter. There was easily a small fortune in gems in this chest, and what looked like a few complete sets in little cases. Some of these pieces were extremely old in design.

"The chest has been in my family for generations and has always been handed down from mother to daughter. I would prefer her to have it now." murmured Ino's mother.

Shibi nodded in understanding and gently closed the lid. He would get Ino to look through her mother's gift later.

He opened the heavy envelope next and was astounded by the contents.

"I had planned to use that to provide for Ino's wedding kimono and her trousseau when it came time for her to marry." said Emiko softly.

It was now apparent why the envelope was so old and worn in places. She had been carefully squirreling her spare yen away for years, most likely from the time Ino was a baby. A wedding kimono wasn't a cheap purchase, especially a silk embroidered one.

He was overwhelmed by the woman's generous nature towards her only child and really couldn't fault her. He would have done the same if he was in her position.

Shibi looked at the woman across from him and quietly murmured, "Why don't we take these to the study and put them in a safe place for your daughter. We can finish our tea later. There is something I would like to show you."

He carefully picked up Ino's bridal dowry and waited for Emiko to stand before leaving the sitting room.

-------------------------

Emiko followed the Aburame Clan Leader into his large study and went over to one of the chairs to sit down while Shibi got his beetles to guard the door so they wouldn't be disturbed during this particular conversation.

Emiko suddenly had a thought.

"Where did Ino and Shino go? I noticed that it's pretty quiet." asked the woman, more than a little concerned.

Shibi chuckled, "I imagine Shino has persuaded your daughter to lie down and rest after this morning's excitement."

_Yes, she could imagine things had been a little on the exciting side this morning if her husband's reaction this afternoon was an indication._

The man walked over to the safe, opened it and gingerly slid the two items inside.

Emiko notice him retrieve a scroll from the top of the safe before securely locking it.

He walked over to the seated woman and gave her the scroll before sitting down at his desk.

"I haven't mentioned this to my son or Ino yet but there is a special endowment that is given to the bride if she does decide to follow her heart and enact this particular law. The last time a woman was given this endowment was nearly two hundred years ago. We deliberately do not mention it for the reason that the agreement has to be entered into freely and unconditionally. The endowment can't be used as an inducement for the woman's decision. The Kikai would know the difference since the woman enters into a contract with the destruction beetles themselves." murmured the Aburame Clan leader.

Emiko nodded in understanding at that logic.

She looked at the scroll she held in her hands and slowly unfurled it, her eyes widening in shock as she continued to read it.

She looked up at the man behind the desk, stunned by the contents of the scroll.

Shibi smiled wryly at the woman's obvious shock at what was revealed in the document.

"Yes, Ino will be more than adequately taken care of… but I know whatever we provide for her isn't going to be as precious as what you yourself have provided for her." replied the clan leader softly.

"Thank you." murmured Emiko now choked up by emotion, silently handing over the document.

_Her daughter was going to be treated like a queen by this clan and she couldn't wish for anything more…_

_---------------------- --------------------- _

"Shino, you sure your father won't mind if we didn't join them for tea?" asked Ino in a concerned voice.

Shino placed a kiss on her bare shoulder before he whispered in ear, "No... I'm sure. It's best if we let our parents have their chat."

Ino laughed at her lover's matter of fact reply.

"You're not fooling me for one moment, Shino... You just wanted our parents to have tea alone, so you could have your wicked way with me..." murmured the young woman, stroking the hand wrapped around her waist and then continued in a whisper, "I'm not complaining though...I missed having you by my side last night."

Shino smiled against her shoulder and idly stroked her small belly with his hand before softly replying, "I missed you too, sweetheart... the spare room is a poor substitute for your warmth."

Ino twisted around to place a soft kiss on the bug wielder's firm lips, admiring the way his silvery eyes watched her as he stroked her back with long elegant fingers.

"Yo! Bug Freak! Open the window! I know you're in there...your Kikai have barred the window." called out a voice.

Shino sighed and gave the young woman in his arms one last lingering kiss before he rolled over to pick up his glasses from the small bedside table.

"Kiba, I'll be there in a minute... keep your voice down." replied the bug wielder sliding over to the side of the bed to retrieve a pair of pants.

"Hey, Bug Freak... what's going on?" called out Kiba.

Shino pulled on his pants and picked up the kimono from the floor.

"I'll be there in a minute, Kiba..." murmured Shino with a small warning in his voice, leaning over to give the blonde one last kiss as he handed her the kimono.

"Why don't you go and use the bathroom while I let Kiba in?" asked Shino as he helped his naked girl friend out of the bed.

"You know, he's going to figure it out with that sensitive nose of his..." replied Ino as she walked off to the bathroom with the kimono over one arm, not realizing that her lover was watching her with an admiring half smile on his face.

"Well, I would rather he discover it with his nose than see with his eyes." murmured Shino, hearing her soft laughter before she closed the door behind her.

-------------- ------------------------

Kiba watched the Kikai beetles retreat from the window and saw them disappear into the sleeves of Shino's jacket as he finished zipping it up.

The dog nin pushed up the window and was immediately assailed with a familiar smell.

"Oops... my bad, Shino... the clan messenger arrived at my place and I was concerned." replied Kiba sheepishly before continuing in his usual brash way, "So, it's true then... She really gave up her clan for you? That's pretty damn romantic, bug freak!"

"Yes – I was surprised by her decision. I wasn't expecting her to do it." murmured Shino quietly, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose, as he watched in mild amusement at his old team mate lifting a long muscular leg over the window ledge and climb into the room, like he'd been doing for years.

"Yeah – well, I was more surprised by the news that my best bud has been hot and heavy with Ino for god knows how long. It's always the quiet ones that you have to watch, eh Bug Freak?" replied Kiba as he landed gracefully onto the wooden floor.

"Yes, I am sorry about that, Kiba... Ino preferred to keep our relationship discreet and I respected her decision." returned Shino in a serious undertone, the color high on his cheeks behind his high collar.

Kiba shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded in understanding, muttering, "Yeah – I can't say I blame her...considering the fact that she was treated so badly by Shikamaru."

"You knew?" asked Shino with a frown.

"Yeah... It was kind of a similar situation to this one actually. I had to collect Shikamaru for a mission and...yeah, my nose pretty much filled in the details." replied Kiba sheepishly, reaching up one hand to rub the back of his head.

"Did he mention why he did it, Kiba?" asked the bug wielder quietly, giving the bathroom door a quick glance.

"Yeah... he said with Temari... he couldn't help it...it just happened." responded Kiba with a shrug.

"I see." murmured Shino, turning away to retrieve his hooded jacket.

"Well, maybe it was a good thing that he did screw up so spectacularly... because if he hadn't – you and Ino wouldn't be together now." replied Kiba cheerfully.

Shino looked over his shoulder and frowned at his friend, groaning, "You're enjoying this, aren't you – Dog Breath?"

"Well...yeah. My old team mate and best friend scores a hot blonde... that's freaking awesome!" said Kiba with a grin.

"Have you told him our other news yet, Shino?" asked a feminine voice behind the two men.

"What news?!..." exclaimed Kiba with a scowl at his bug wielding team mate before turning to smile and murmur in an admiring tone, " Oh hey, Ino...the kimono suits you."

Shino glanced over at the blonde standing in the doorway of the bathroom with the soft blush to her cheeks.

_She looked beautiful._

"I was waiting for you to come out of the bathroom before I told him." replied Shino with a small smile.

"Well?! She's here now... spill!" exclaimed Kiba excitedly.

"Ino's expecting... I'm going to become a father..." said Shino, still smiling at the young woman.

"Holy shit... I can't freaking believe it..." yelled Kiba before rushing over to pick up Ino in a bear hug.

Ino realized what Kiba was about to do and quickly gasped, "No, Kiba... stop!"

It was too late.

As soon as Kiba placed his hand on Ino's waist, they attacked.

"AAAARRGGHHH!!!"

--------------- ---------------- ----------------

Emiko and Shibi had returned back to the sitting room and were sitting there comfortably drinking their tea when they heard the blood curdling scream.

Emiko looked up horrified and asked, deeply concerned, "Oh Kami... should we go and see if the poor man needs any assistance?"

Shibi looked up mildly amused before returning back to casually sipping his green tea.

"There's no need... It's just Kiba. He just found out about your daughter's little watchdogs." replied Shibi with a small smirk.

"Ino's little watchdogs?" asked Emiko, very puzzled.

"Yes – those two Kikai that follow your daughter around are there for her protection... no one but their host is allowed to touch Ino without permission." murmured Shibi, picking up the plate of cookies and offering one to the blonde woman sitting across from him.

"Oh... is that normal?" asked Emiko taking a cookie from the plate.

"Yes – it's normal for the Kikai to form a bond outside of its bug host when their host's life mate is expecting. The number of Kikai that bond with the woman is an indication of how many children are present. What isn't normal is how ferocious those two destruction beetles can be." commented Shibi dryly, pulling up his sleeve for the second time that day to show Emiko the evidence of the Kikai's viciousness.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked the older woman weakly, as her blue eyes widening in shock at the sight of the large red welts all over the man's arm.

"He'll be fine... he just won't be making that mistake again in a hurry... that's all." replied Shibi with an evil chuckle.

"CALL THESE BLOOD THIRSTY LITTLE MONGRELS OFF ME!" howled out the same voice that yelled earlier.

The Aburame clan leader gave a heartfelt sigh and called out, "Kiba – if my son could stop laughing long enough, he'd tell you to take your hand off Ino... the little bastards will leave you alone then."

"Is that what happened to you? You touched Ino?" asked Emiko slightly aghast.

Shibi looked at the blonde woman in shock before chuckling once more as he shook his head in the negative.

"No... they just don't like me... their grandfather didn't like me too much either..." replied Shibi with a smirk before taking a sip of his tea.

"You don't seem too upset that those two beetles are that nasty..." questioned Emiko as she took a bite of the cookie in her hand.

The Aburame laughed and responded, "No... I'm not. I'm rather pleased by it actually."

"Why?" murmured Emiko raising a blonde eyebrow as she took a sip of her green tea.

"It means that our grandsons' are going to be formidable Shinobis when they grow up." responded Shibi with a knowing smirk.

"I don't understand." remarked Emiko with a shrug of her shoulder.

Shibi wasn't offended and grinned at the woman's blank look.

"Each of Ino's kikai will become half of a breeding pair that will be placed into our grandsons when they come of age to accept their first destruction beetles. Any beetles sired by these two are going to be feared – even by this clan." murmured Shibi conversationally and lifted the teapot, asking with a small smile, "Would you like some more tea?"

"Thank you, Aburame-sama." called out a relieved voice from Shino's room.

Emiko looked at Shibi acting so calm and collected, pouring the tea before she finally lost her composure and started laughing.

The Aburame clan leader smiled and picked up a cookie from the plate.

_Yes – these grandchildren of theirs were going to be a handful but he wouldn't have it any other way._

---------------- --------------- ----------------

Inoichi arrived home to silence but wasn't surprised by this.

He knew that his wife was mad at him and in retrospective, he couldn't blame her.

If he had been thinking rationally about all of this and instead of thinking about how accepting a union with a bug clan would be a blow to his manly pride, then maybe his daughter wouldn't have chosen the path she took.

The fact that his daughter had taken this path before he had been given the opportunity to refuse the contract told him quite plainly that he had let his baby girl down.

He sat down on his couch and stared off into the distance.

Inoichi was in a quandary. The hokage was correct – as blunt and cruel as her words were at the time.

He accepted that the sanctuary agreement was binding. There was no way that he was going to take on a swarm of chakra eating destruction beetles to try and break the contract... he knew that now.

If he wanted to salvage a relationship with Ino and have an opportunity to develop one with his grandsons... he needed to suck it up and make an appointment to talk with Shibi Aburame.

The shrill ringing of the phone broke into his chaotic musings.

Inoichi looked at it in mild surprise before he sighed and picked up the receiver.

"Yamanaka." said Inoichi gruffly.

"Well, I don't need to ask you how you're handling the news, old friend." replied a familiar voice.

"Shikaku...now is not a good time..." started Inoichi.

"You screwed up and you're trying to figure out a way to rectify the situation, right?" broke in Shikaku.

"Yes." replied Inoichi in surprise.

"I'll see you in an hour at the Korean Barbecue place. I suggest you bring a couple of empty scrolls as well as your seal. We're going to help you work out an agreement that will allow you to see your daughter, despite the sanctuary law." murmured the voice on the phone.

"Wait – Shikaku... there's more to..." began Inoichi, only for his friend to cut in once more.

"Inoichi... you can tell us about it when we meet up at the barbecue place... now, get going, leave a message for your wife and collect what you need... oh yeah... bring plenty of cash because if this works out as well as I anticipate, you're paying for dinner." replied Shikaku before hanging up.

The man stared at the receiver in his hand for a moment before finally hanging it up with a heavy sigh.

Inoichi pushed a hand through his hair and bleakly contemplated a future without his daughter being a part of it.

The phone began to ring once more and he frowned slightly as he picked up the receiver.

"Yamanaka." said Inoishi morosely.

"Tsk... troublesome. Stop beating yourself up, Inoichi... you're not the first person to do something bone headed and you're not going to be the last. Now, grab your stuff, plenty of cash, leave a note for your wife and get your ass down to the barbecue place." drawled Shikaku before hanging up once more.

Inoichi gave a heartfelt sigh before pushing himself up from the couch.

It didn't take too long for him to collect what he needed and to leave a note for his wife on the kitchen table.

He gave his wallet one final check to make sure he had plenty of cash before he walked over to the door and exited with a soft click.

If Shikaku's plan worked out – he was tempted to pay for the sake as well.

------------ ---------------- -------------- --------------

Sakura was about to knock on the front door when she heard a smoky male voice call out, "Come in, Haruno-san... we've been expecting you."

"Sakura? ow! That freaking stings, Shino!" called out another male voice cheerfully, only to end in a yowl of pain.

"Kiba? You sound like you're in pain... are you okay?" called out Sakura in concern.

"Please come in here and patch me up... Shino has been trying but quite frankly, he sucks." called back Kiba in a pleading tone.

"Ino has medic training...can't she..." asked the pinkette with a small frown only to hear Kiba quickly yell out.

"NO – ABSOLUTELY NOT!!"

"Haruno-san... please come in... and tend to Kiba's injuries... he's in Shino's old room." called out that smoky male voice once more.

Sakura pushed open the door and gingerly walked down the corridor, following the sounds of Kiba cursing at his friend.

"Damn it, Shino... gentle." growled out Kiba.

Sakura stared in shock at the sight of the dog nin sitting on the edge of the bed, covered in bright red welts on any exposed part of his body.

Shino was standing nearby with a tube of ointment and a roll of bandages.

"Oh Kami ...Kiba what happened?" asked the medic nin in dismay as she rushed over to treat Kiba's injuries.

"They happened." growled out Kiba in disgust, jabbing a finger over in the direction of where Ino was standing.

Understanding came swiftly as Sakura saw the hissing kikai sitting in their usual perches on her blonde friend.

"Ino – they attacked him? Why would they do that? They seemed awfully sweet to me." asked with a frown as she listened to the tiny beetles chirping.

The pink haired medic nin knelt down in front of Kiba and started to heal the large red welts with her chakra.

Kiba was relieved to feel an initial tingle and then no pain. Sakura continued to work in silence before she stood up and sighed, "I think I got them all... how do you feel?"

"Much better... thanks Sakura... I don't think I could have handled much more of nurse blood's bed side manner." grinned Kiba in relief, nodding in the direction of his old team mate.

The pinkette laughed and nodded, "I understand what you mean. Shino is not really known for his medical skills."

A smoky voice called out from the other side of the house, "Oh Haruno-san... now that the Inuzuka is patched up... could I impose on you to treat my injuries also?"

"Same thing?" asked Sakura with a sigh, looking over at the little kikai cooing.

She couldn't believe those two were capable of inflicting that much pain.

"They are only sweet when they want to be... but those two are all business especially if they think Ino is threatened...never doubt that, Sakura." murmured Shino quietly.

Sakura glanced at Shino in shock, before finally sighing and leaving the room.

They heard her call out, "I'll be right there, Aburame-sama."

"I'm so sorry, Kiba... I did try to tell you..." murmured Ino, a little upset by what just happened.

Kiba looked up in surprise and suddenly grinned, "Ino... its okay. I am actually relieved, if you want to know the truth."

"Relieved? Why is that, Kiba?" asked Ino, clearly puzzled by the man's odd behavior.

"When I heard that you had disowned your clan, I was worried about your safety, especially if both Shino and his father are called away for missions but I can see that you will be just fine." replied Kiba with a wry smile.

The sound of Ino's stomach grumbling caught the attention of both men then.

"Sorry... I guess I'm hungry..." murmured Ino embarrassed.

Kiba laughed and replied, "Yeah... I guess so... how about we wait until Sakura is finished treating Aburame-sama and then we could head out to find some food for you and that baby of yours, hn?"

"Babies, Kiba... as in twins." countered Shino's quiet and matter of fact tone.

Kiba's head swiftly swiveled around and looked at his friend in shock, exclaiming hoarsely, "Holy shit, Shino... when you knock a girl up – you don't mess around, do you?"

Ino's soft laughter drifted in the air as she watched Shino lift his hand and softly threaten to drain his old team mate if he didn't shut his mouth.

--------------- --------------- ----------------- -------------

Shikaku locked the door and slipped his house keys into his pocket as he walked across the covered porch.

He was about to step off and onto the road when he heard his wife call out, "Shikaku! Don't stay out until the early hours... You need to mow the lawn in the morning like you promised!"

The Nara Clan Leader sighed and called back, "I won't stay out too late, Yoshino."

Shikaku was about to step off the front porch yet again when he saw the familiar figure of his son walking lazily up the road.

"It's just not my night to catch a break." muttered Shikaku under his breath.

_Not that he didn't normally welcome a visit from his son... just tonight... well, was a little inconvenient._

"You heading out on a mission?" asked Shikamaru in mild surprise as he stopped in front of his father and noticed the small bag on his father's back.

"In a way ... I'm heading over to the Korean barbeque place to meet with Choza and Inoichi." replied Shikaku.

"Oh? It's nothing serious, is it?" asked Shikamaru with a slight frown.

"Troublesome..." growled Shikaku under his breath and said loud enough for his son to hear, "Look – I can't hang around here all night. If you want to talk – we need to do it while we're walking."

Shikamaru nodded as his father stepped down and started walking briskly down the dirt road.

_Okay – his father was lazier than he was... he __**never**__ rushed anywhere._

He quickly caught up with his father and asked with a slight edge to his voice, "Okay, father... what is going on?"

"When was the last time you talked to Ino, son?" countered Shikaku.

Shikamaru stood still, rigid in shock at that question but quickly broke into a trot when he realized that his father wasn't going to slow down.

"I haven't talked to Ino since my engagement was announced but you know that, father... Why are you suddenly asking me about Ino?" asked Shikamaru with a scowl.

"I'm not surprised by that answer, Shika... I know your woman never did like the fact that you and Ino were still friends after your relationship ended." murmured Shikaku dryly as he shifted the small pack on his bag.

"What's going on, father? Does this meeting with your drinking cronies have something to do with Ino?" asked Shikamaru, feverishly working over a dozen different possibilities in his mind.

"Yes, son... It does indeed have something to do with Ino." replied Shikaku more than a little impressed at how quickly his son came to that conclusion.

_He shouldn't really be surprised though... his son was a genius... but still..._

"Is she sick? Injured?" asked Shikamaru, now a little concerned.

"Well, not that I am aware of..." responded Shikaku distractedly.

"Then what is it that is so important that you need to be in a rush to meet Yamanaka-sama and Akamichi-sama?" bit out Shikamaru, beginning to feel a little frustrated by this situation.

"Ino has formally disowned her clan." replied Shikaku with a sigh.

"Wha? Why would she do that?" exclaimed the younger Nara in shock.

"Why? Because Inoichi is a hard headed fool. Instead of thinking of the consequences of his actions, he decided to make rash decisions and now, he's having regrets." muttered Shikaku in a bitter tone.

"Okay... I'm..." started Shikamaru, only for his father to stop abruptly and face his son.

"Shika... because of the way that Ino chose to remove herself from her clan, every clan in this village is now aware that she has sought protection from her lover's family rather than allow her father to force her into an arranged marriage."

"Oh." murmured Shikamaru understanding start to dawn in his dark eyes.

"Yes... very big _OH_." remarked Shikaku with a wry twist of his lips.

"What's going to happen to Ino? She's going to be branded as this loose woman..." responded Shikamaru with a concerned frown marring his brow, only for his father to cut in.

"I doubt anyone is going to be game enough to even make a whisper regarding Ino's morals, son... not if they value their lives..." replied the older Nara with a small chuckle.

Shikamaru watched his father glance at his watch and shifted his pack on his back before he moved off once more.

"Ino invoked her right to enact the sanctuary of the Kikai." drifted out Shikaku's voice softly as he disappeared down the road.

Shikamaru did not bother to catch up with his father this time. His mind was still busy dealing with the bombshell he'd just received.

He didn't know what the hell the Sanctuary of the Kikai was but there was only one clan in this village that could have a law like that.

_Aburame. _

------------ ---------------- --------------------

"Shino... How do you and your father do that? It's been bothering me..." murmured Sakura as they walked down the road towards the village.

"Do what, Sakura? You need to be a little more specific, I'm afraid." countered Shino with a small smile to his lips as he felt Ino's hand slide up to curl around his arm.

"You know... the way you both just seem to know what's on a person's mind... it's kind of freaky...uh, no offense, Shino." replied the medic nin, now feeling a little foolish.

"The Aburames, like the Inuzuka, are renowned for their tracking ability but it's their skill to observe and gather information that makes them a true asset on a team. They can pick up what a person is thinking by watching their body language and facial expressions as well as picking up changes in chakra levels in addition to changes of emotions using their Kikai." responded Kiba in a quiet gruff tone.

Sakura looked over at the broad chested nin with the clan tattoos on his high cheekbones and silently marveled at this other side of the man.

She still couldn't believe that Kiba who had been as loud and obnoxious as a certain blonde former team mate of hers was now a respected Clan Leader.

_How was it possible that this man like Naruto could excel in a way that constantly surprised others?_

"Don't let the creepy stoic exterior fool you, Sakura... Shino and his father are highly intelligent for bug freaks." drawled out Kiba with a small smirk to his lips, hearing the subtle humming of Shino's destruction beetles at his comment.

"So, Kiba – where's Akamaru tonight?" asked the pink haired woman, finally noticing that the large man was alone.

"His mate is expecting their first litter of pups. I don't need him for a mission, so I let him stay at home." murmured Kiba a little sadly.

"What's wrong, Kiba?" asked Sakura now a little concerned by the sudden mood change.

"While Kiba is excited by the impending arrival of Akamaru's first litter... he's sad that he hasn't yet found his own life mate... He would have liked his first born to have one of Akamaru's pups from the important first litter...but Hana's first child will have that honor instead." replied Shino from behind her.

"Oh... I see." whispered Sakura looking at the encroaching twilight as a feeling of sadness settled inside of her.

_Kiba was a handsome guy... How was it that he hadn't found someone that he wanted to settle down with?_

Kiba glanced over at Sakura and could see the questions flit across her expressive face, even in the dark.

"Sakura... while I still have the urge to rut... I just haven't felt the desire to put my mark permanently on a woman and claim her for life." murmured Kiba quietly.

"How do you know if you've found the right one, Kiba?" asked the medic nin in a whisper.

"It's not something you can put into words, Sakura... but I will know when I have found the right woman to bear my children." replied Kiba, noting the dark flush that appeared on the woman's face at the mention of children.

"And you? Have you found someone special?" murmured the Inuzuka slyly as he watched the flush darken on her face, correctly guessing what her answer was going to be.

"No...uh... I mean, I want to...I do... but..." broke off Sakura, looking away from Kiba and now feeling a little uncomfortable about how _personal_ this conversation had turned in a short amount of time.

"Don't worry...Sakura... You're an incredibly beautiful woman... I am sure that the right man will eventually come along and sweep you off your feet." remarked Kiba, shoving his hands into his pockets before he finally strode slightly ahead of the group.

Sakura felt her cheeks burning brightly as she watched him walk ahead.

_Why did she suddenly get the impression that he was embarrassed?_

-------------- 0-----------------0--------------

Inoichi stepped into the restaurant and looked over to see his two old team mates and friends waiting impatiently for his arrival.

Choza was happily helping himself to a pot sticker as Inoichi sat down at the table.

"Did you bring the blank scrolls and your seal?" asked Shikaku lazily.

Inoichi nodded as Choza finished the pot sticker in his mouth and jovially murmured, "Don't worry, Inoichi... I'm sure that despite how badly you feel you royally put your foot into it... there is always a way to redeem yourself."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Choza... I really did it this time and I've only got myself to blame for this mess." returned Inoichi morosely.

"That bad, eh?" asked Shikaku with a raised eyebrow at the dejected look on his friend's face.

"Yeah – I'm afraid so... not only did I refuse to listen to the Aburame Clan's offer of an alliance through marriage between the two clans, there's a strong possibility that I have lost my chance to ever know my grandsons." confessed Inoichi to his two friends.

"Hehehe... you were right, Shikaku... as per usual." murmured Choza with a small smile.

"You knew?!" asked Inoichi in shock.

"No – but I suspected that the reason why your daughter opted to invoke this particular law was because of the fact that she was expecting a child." replied Shikaku with a smirk.

"So – my daughter is truly...lost to me then?" asked Inoichi sadly.

Choza and Shikaku looked at each other in contemplation before the Nara finally murmured, "No... you can still recover from this... but not without a small sacrifice on your behalf."

"Okay...You have my attention, Shikaku... how?" queried the blonde man leaning forward on his folded arms.

"You can still prevent your grandchildren from accepting their first Kikai, despite the sanctuary agreement. Since both clans will be relying on these grandchildren to continue their respective lines, the Aburame will be prepared to take any concessions you offer in a serious light." responded Shikaku with a sly smile.

"I see... you mentioned that I would need to make a small sacrifice... what are you suggesting I do, Shikaku?" asked Inoichi with a frown, as he contemplated this strategy.

"Give your permission to allow both your grandchildren to accept Kikai when it comes time, but request that your daughter's next child be exempt from the ceremony and given to your clan for training." replied Shikaku.

"Why – both children... why not just one?" questioned Inoichi.

"They will be formidable and powerful nins if they are kept together and trained as a team. The Aburame knows this... and he will be prepared to negotiate to keep the children together...especially if the father is an exceptional shinobi himself." countered Shikaku with a smile.

"From what little I have observed of the young man's technique... he seems to be at a Jounin level - skill wise and I imagine that enemies do their best to avoid him... quiet, highly intelligent with quick reflexes, despite that tall angular frame of his and an ability to assess a situation in a small amount of time... yes – I say he is quite exceptional... as well as extremely dangerous if crossed. " muttered Inoichi out loud as he continued to give the plan serious thought and completely missing the look of shock and understanding that passed between Choza and Shikaku.

"Inoichi... the father of Ino's unborn children wouldn't happen to be Shino Aburame, would it?" asked Choza carefully, quickly losing his appetite for food as the pot sticker slipped unnoticed from the man's slack chopsticks.

"Yes – I believe that was the young man's name." replied Inoichi, looking up in surprise and noting that Choza had gone pale at the confirmation of the father's identity.

"So – Ino managed to capture the heart and attention of the Aburame heir himself. I'm impressed, Inoichi... no wonder Shibi isn't pulling any punches." murmured Shikaku with a calculating gleam in his dark eyes.

"Eh... I'm sorry, Shikaku... but I fail to see what is so impressive about this situation." replied Inoichi glumly.

"Shino Aburame is quite the catch despite his notoriously reclusive nature. Many clans have tried to arrange alliances with the Aburame, only to be politely refused…and yet, Ino managed to achieve the feat without too much effort. Also - the fact that your daughter is carrying Shibi's grandsons will make him more adamant than ever to ensure the boys are trained together as a team. " remarked Shikaku in a deceptively casual tone, carefully watching his friend under hooded lashes.

Inoichi picked up the cup on sake sitting in front and took a sip, staring down at the table, now deep in thought.

"You still have the chance to recover from this situation and gain an extremely powerful ally in the process." countered Choza as he reached down to retrieve the pot sticker from the sauce.

Inoichi looked up then and contemplated his old team mates for a while before finally replying, "Okay – what do I need to put in this scroll?"

Choza smiled in delight as Shikaku responded, "Why don't you unroll one of those parchments and we'll get started, hn?"

------------------------6--------------------------

Shikamaru unlocked the front door of his modest apartment and slipped inside, still in shock from his father's news.

"Shika? Are you okay? You look pale as a ghost." murmured a concerned female voice.

The lazy nin absently locked the door behind him and walked into the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of beer from the fridge.

Temari frowned at her fiancé's preoccupation as he walked into the living room, open bottle in hand and watched him sit down beside her on the couch.

She waited for him to have a sip before prompting, "Well?! What happened? I thought you were going to spend some time with your father tonight."

Shikamaru took another pull from his beer bottle, swallowed before finally replying, "There was a change of plans, Temari. My father needed to go and meet the Yamanaka."

The blonde responded with a small smirk to her lips, "It was that time of the month, eh?"

Shikamaru leaned back into the couch as he put the bottle to his lips and took another healthy swallow.

He reached out and absently stroked the top of her hand before replying, "No... nothing like that. Dad is helping the Yamanaka try to work out a way to see his daughter."

Temari stared blindly down at the floor, trying to hide from Shikamaru how even the slightest mention of the other blonde upset her as she replied, "Why would he need to do that?"

"Ino formally disowned her clan today." responded Shikamaru as he lifted the beer bottle to take another sip.

The fan wielder turned to look at her husband to be in disbelief before exclaiming in an incredulous tone, "You're not joking, are you?"

Shikamaru grimaced and replied, "No, I'm not... She's staying with her lover's family for the moment rather than being forced to marry against her will."

"Lover?! When did that happen?" murmured Temari in shock.

"I don't know but I'm guessing that she's been seeing this guy for a while..." replied Shikamaru lifting his bottle to take another sip.

"Do you think it's just a ploy to get your attention?" asked the blonde, a little suspicious about the news of her rival's new man.

"Huh? What do you mean?" countered Shikamaru absently as he placed the bottle onto the table.

"Well, don't you think it's strange that she's _suddenly_ seeing someone, after all this time?" replied Temari, giving her fiancé a long look.

"Normally I would find it strange but... when I heard which clan Ino's lover is from... I wasn't surprised that the relationship was kept so low key." murmured Shikamaru with a frown as he clasped his hands together under his chin.

"Okay... you have caught my attention now... which clan is this man from?" asked Temari with a raised eyebrow.

"Aburame." came the succinct reply.

The blonde reared back in shock before exclaiming, "Wait – aren't they the clan with the creepy bugs that eat the chakra?"

Shikamaru looked over at his lover, a small smile tugging at a corner of his mouth as he nodded, "Yes – that's the clan."

"Gahhh! I remember Kankuro telling me about that fight he had with that bug wielding nin all those years ago. He said that it was one of the most vicious battles that he had ever experienced." responded Temari with a shudder.

"Well, Shino hasn't changed too much over the years... if anything, he's become a more formidable opponent as he's gotten older." muttered Shikamaru, his mind already trying to work out which Aburame male Ino was seeing.

"Yuk... she must be desperate for a man if she's sleeping with a guy who has bugs living inside of him." mumbled Temari in disgust.

The lazy nin turned and looked at his fiancée in shock before bluntly replying, "I doubt it. This relationship is pretty serious for her to make that kind of commitment...She's not the type to just sleep with a man."

An awkward silence settled between the couple sitting on the couch.

"You put the moves on her?!" hissed out Temari after a while.

"Troublesome...but yes, I had tried a couple of times – only to be politely rebuffed...and before you bitch me out... this was before things got serious between us." murmured Shikamaru with a warning frown.

"Don't you mean – until she caught us in bed?" countered Temari archly.

"Gahh!! Temari...we've been through this countless times before! I was planning to tell her long before then...but poor timing and missions got in the way. It was just...unfortunate." replied Shikamaru tiredly as he lifted a hand up to rub his forehead.

_He didn't want to get into this tired old argument... not tonight._

Temari bit back her frustration as she caught the telling hand movement and instead asked, "I'm surprised that she's decided to make her relationship public knowledge in such a way... what prompted her to make her announcement in such a spectacular fashion?"

Shikamaru looked up in surprise.

_Hell – that was an excellent question._

He drummed his fingers on the arm of the sofa as he went over the conversation he had with his father in his mind.

The lazy genius sat up abruptly as his fingers still their tattoo and muttered, "Shit."

_It was so damn obvious... _

"What?" asked Temari, now curious.

"The Aburame must have made an offer for Ino, only for her father to decline the offer of an alliance between the clans." murmured Shikamaru in disbelief.

"Yes...but I still don't understand the rush if that was indeed the case...I mean...why disown your clan?" asked the fan wielder with a frown.

Shikamaru stared at his lover with wide shocked eyes as understanding finally dawned on him.

He reached over and gave the blonde a quick kiss on the cheek before moving away to push himself up to a standing position.

"Shika, where are you going?" asked Temari in alarm.

"Sorry, Temari... I need to go and see someone to confirm my suspicions but I won't be out late."

The young woman watched in frustration as Shikamaru walked over to the hall table and picked up his keys.

"Shika... you're going to see Ino, aren't you?" murmured Temari tightly, feeling the old jealousy simmering to the surface.

Shikamaru paused at the front door, biting back the curse rising to his lips at her question and countered quietly, "Temari...when are you going to let this go? I want you – not Ino."

The fan wielder watched him slip out the door with a quiet click before she finally replied, "I want to believe you, Shika... I really do."

----------------------------------------

"Another order of the beef, please...and another side of the rice with the red bean paste on top." murmured Ino sheepishly to the beaming waitress.

The blond felt her face burning in mortification as she turned and saw the rest of the table watching her in amusement.

"No need to be embarrassed, Ino. You're a little underweight... so eat up." said Sakura with a smile as she took a sip of her green tea.

Ino smiled in gratitude at her friend's encouraging words, feeling a little more relieved about the sudden need to eat her body weight in food.

She glanced over at the stoic man sitting beside her with his wide collar unsnapped and was surprised to see him lift her hand up to bring it to his lips.

"Kawaii..." breathed out Sakura wistfully with a small sigh, watching the blush bloom once more in Ino's cheeks, this time for an entirely different reason.

Kiba gave the pink haired woman beside him a contemplative look as she took a final sip of the green tea before putting the cup down.

He felt a little angry when he heard that tell tale tone in her voice and privately thought it was a shame that this intelligent and beautiful woman was still single.

"Sakura, I imagine you have another early day over at the hospital... why don't I walk you home while these two have some quality time together?" asked Kiba quietly.

The medic nin briefly looked up and witnessed her friend lean close to give Shino a tender and loving kiss before turning her gaze swiftly back on her tattooed companion.

"Oh! Um... that would be nice of you, Kiba... thanks." replied Sakura, suddenly feeling shy for some unknown reason.

Kiba dug a large hand into his pocket and extracted his wallet.

"Shino...I'm going to walk Sakura home. I will see you tomorrow, okay?" murmured Kiba as he stood up and placed enough money down on the table to pay for dinner.

"Kiba..." said Shino with a warning tone in his voice as he looked back at his dinner companions standing to take their leave.

"Shino... I want to pay. I've waited a long time for this day..." returned Kiba with a wide grin.

"Thank you, Kiba." replied the taller man with a rare smile.

"You can thank me properly when you send me an invitation to the wedding." countered the Inuzuka with a knowing smirk.

"Kiba! That was rude!" gasped Sakura in dismay, shooting the couple an apologetic look before dragging a laughing Kiba out the door.

"Nonsense... you have eyes in your head. It's only a matter of time before those two decide when they plan to do the deed." drifted back the large man's voice back to the pair seated at the table.

Shino chuckled softly as he watched an annoyed pink haired medic nin drag his ex-team mate out of the restaurant and into the evening.

Ino bit her bottom lip and dropped her eyes down to where her hands rested on top of her small belly.

"I'm in no rush, Ino...I can wait." murmured the bug wielder with a tiny quirk of his firm lips.

"It doesn't bother you… what people will say then?" whispered the blond, not bothering to mask her concern.

"No, Ino….I worry about you and our children but I don't worry about what a bunch of narrow minded gossips think. It's none of their business." replied Shino quietly, reaching over to brush a long strand of hair out of Ino's eyes.

Ino leaned in and rested a small palm on the Kikai wielder's lean cheekbone before brushing her lips across his and whispering, "Shino…I love you."

"You're the man she left her family for?" bit out a male voice.

Ino stiffened with shock as she heard that voice, feeling the ripple of the destruction beetles under Shino's skin as he too recognized the voice.

Shino frowned as he felt the small tremors course through Ino's body as he turned to face the man standing not far from their table.

"I am." replied the Kikai master plainly as one of his hands dropped down to gently caress Ino's hands now clasped tightly in her lap.

"Shikamaru….what are you doing here?" asked Ino, feeling a sense of unease settle in the pit of her stomach.

"Shino – we need to talk….outside." murmured Shikamaru, ignoring the blonde's question and pinning the other shinobi with a look of disgust.

"As you wish, Shikamaru." returned Shino with a tiny lift of his lips, giving Ino's hands one last comforting squeeze before lifting his hand to snap his collar into place.

"Where are you going, Shino?" asked Ino in growing alarm as she watched him push up to a standing position as Shikamaru turned and left the restaurant.

"Shikamaru wants to make an issue out of this and I'm not about to disappoint him." replied Shino grimly as he turned and followed the shadow wielder outside.

"Here you are… an order of beef with a side of rice with red bean paste on it." murmured the waitress as she placed the order in front of the stunned woman.

"Thank you…um, could you put a cover on this… I'll be back in a few minutes….promise." replied Ino before she pushed herself up and hurried over to the front door.

_She just hoped that she got there before those two did something stupid…like get into a fight over her._

_Now – that would be really dumb._


	7. Wrath of the Kikai Wielder

**Author's Note:**

Okay – a small item of business.

The Naruto Fan Fiction Awards is now accepting nominations of stories you feel deserve some recognition. This is a great opportunity to show your favorite authors some love.

The link is on my author's profile for those interested in checking out the website for or you can do a google search on The Naruto Fan Fiction Awards.

They have different categories you can nominate a story for and yes, you can nominate stories that are not listed on TONFA.

This is the raw chapter and has only been edited by the author. It is subject to revision at a later date. :D

The story is dedicated to **Deserter**. I am thrilled to hear that you are enjoying the story.

A small note to **AnimeGodess1990**: Yes, sweetie… I got your message loud and clear. I am working my little fingers raw to meet up with demand.

Special thanks to **Inumatchmaker** for providing some suggestions to improve my rough draft.

One more thing: I know this chapter is going to cause some uproar on the review board but readers who have been stopping by to read my stories know that I have a surprise or two in store. Yes - the next chapter has been started.

A sentence in _italics_ denotes the private thoughts of an individual.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or the characters but its fun to play in their world. I also don't make a dime off my fan fiction. I write this stuff purely for my entertainment and your enjoyment.

_You're waiting for someone  
To put you together  
You're waiting for someone to push you away  
There's always another wound to discover  
There's always something more you wish he'd say_

Everything You Want – Vertical Horizon

**Chapter 7 - Wrath of the Kikai Wielder**

Ino's blue eyes widened in shock as she reached the door and saw the two shinobis preparing to fight.

"Shino...Shikamaru…stop! ...this is not what I want." called out a soft female voice into the dark night.

Both men turned to take in the sight of the ethereal looking blonde standing in the doorway of the restaurant with her long hair flowing and dressed in the delicate Aburame Kimono.

"Ino...is it...true? You're living with Shino?" murmured Shikamaru with a small frown marring his smooth brow.

He saw her give an imperceptive nod and softly reply, "Yes, it's true, Shika...judging from his reaction the other day, my father would never have allowed me to marry him... and I don't want to be with anyone else."

Shikamaru looked down at the ground, more than a little envious of his ex-team mate's absolute commitment to the enigmatic Kikai wielder.

The lazy nin finally looked over at the cloaked figure of the Aburame Heir with his destruction beetles alert and ready for attack.

"You _ever _mistreat her...your bugs are not going to prevent me from tearing you to pieces...is that clear?" murmured Shikamaru finally, pinning Shino with a steely glare of his dark eyes.

"You dare suggest that I would ever mistreat her?!" hissed out Shino in quiet outrage as his beetles hummed and rippled under his flesh.

Ino's eyes widened in fear as she watched her lover raise one hand and knew that he was preparing to attack Shikamaru.

The blonde quickly dashed over to where the Kikai wielder stood and gently placed a hand on his outstretched one.

Shino looked down in surprise and was shocked when she pulled him close, tugged down his collar and gave him a heated kiss on the lips.

"Shino... please. I don't want you to fight him… can't you see that he's just worried about me?" breathed out Ino as she let go of the tall nin and turned to face Shikamaru who was giving her a half smile.

"What a drag… If I had known that was the best way to subdue him...I would have suggested you do that a few minutes ago." replied Shikamaru with a small smirk as he heard the Kikai chirp lazily at the change of their host's emotional state.

"Shika...this is your fault! You should realize by now that Shino would never hurt me!" hissed out Ino as she pinned her old team mate with a look of disgust.

"You're right, Ino… I am just concerned about the suddenness of this decision of yours." murmured Shikamaru quietly.

Ino mentally commanded her kikai to stay calm as she walked over to Shikamaru and gently touched his face.

"Shika…please understand…I had no choice… I couldn't wait for my father to reject an offer of marriage from the Aburame Clan…I needed to make the decision that was in my best interest and...for my children."

"You're pregnant?!" gasped out Shikamaru in shock as he glanced over at the now calm bug wielder.

"Yes...I thought you would be thrilled for me?" murmured Ino sadly as she watched the shock continue to dance over his features.

Shikamaru reached up and touched Ino's arm in comfort, his lips tilting up in a smile when he heard the audible hiss of destruction beetles nearby.

"It's okay... they won't attack." replied Ino with a soft smile.

Shikamaru glanced back over at the Aburame who stood silently in the shadows before turning back to Ino and murmuring, "Ino...I'm relieved to hear that you have someone in your life and he loves you unconditionally...I'm just sorry that I hurt you the way I did. It was never my intention to keep my relationship with Temari a secret."

"I know that, Shika... I think it was just an unfortunate situation and I honestly don't hold it against you but I don't think we can ever be as close as we used to be... Temari wouldn't be happy about that." countered Ino sadly.

"Is that why you stopped talking to me?" asked Shikamaru, his eyes wide in dismay and understanding.

"Your fiancé threatened to grievously hurt Ino unless she promised to stay away from you." drifted out a male voice from the shadows.

Ino looked over at her lover in alarm and softly gasped, "Shino!"

The lazy nin saw the man give a brief shrug of his shoulders before nodding over in his direction as he heard him respond.

"Ino, he needs to know... Temari's behavior can't continue in this unchecked manner." murmured the bug wielder calmly.

Shikamaru nodded his head as he understood what the other man was trying to tell him – he needed to deal with Temari's jealousy once and for all before someone got seriously hurt.

--------------------------------------------------

"Shino, can we stop by my apartment? I will need more clothes if I am going to stay with your clan for a little while." asked Ino with a small blush, leaning her cheek against his arm as they finally left the restaurant.

Shino gave a small nod as they walked down the dark streets, not noticing the odd stares they were receiving from passers by.

The couple reached Ino's apartment complex and took their time walking up the stairs.

Shino's senses went into alert when he felt the small woman in his arms stiffen up in shock and heard her whisper, "Oh Kami…"

The bug wielder's eyes narrowed as he followed Ino's shocked gaze and noticed that the door of her apartment was slightly ajar.

"Ino, wait a moment… I need to make sure it's safe for us to go in first." Murmured Shino consolingly to the visibly upset blonde as he raised his arm and sent a swarm of Kikai in to investigate.

A few moments later, the small cluster returned back to the couple standing in wait at the end of the corridor.

Ino watched the frown deepen behind her lover's collar and was now expecting the worst.

"How bad is it, Shino?" asked Ino with a small swallow.

"It's bad, sweetheart… they completely trashed the apartment." replied the tall man with a grim note in his voice.

"Oh god…" murmured Ino weakly.

"We don't have to go in… I can get Kiba to come over tomorrow to…" said Shino in reassurance as he felt Ino begin to tremble.

"No – Shino. I want to see what those bastards did to my home." cut in the blond in a tight whisper, her two little destruction beetles now hissing and humming.

Shino nodded grimly as he slid his arm around her shoulders and walked toward the apartment with trepidation.

The Kikai wielder paused in front of the damaged door and slowly pushed it open as Ino reached in and turned on the light.

They looked on in horror as they surveyed the damage the intruders had done to the apartment.

Furniture was overturned and either broken or slashed and spray painted. Ino's personal mementos had been cast to the spray painted floor and crushed into tiny pieces. The glass vase that the blond kept her daisies in was shattered in a corner of the room with crushed and broken daisies in the debris.

The opened doors revealed the same amount of malicious damage done in the young woman's bedroom as well as her bathroom and her small kitchen.

The small cupboards containing her dishes had been smashed in with an object that had also been used on the fridge, leaving large dents in its metal surface.

As the couple continued to pick their way through the room, it was becoming apparent that nothing was salvageable.

They had done a thorough job.

"Ino…" hissed Shino as he took in the spray painted message the vandals had left on the wall in the bedroom.

"VERMIN WHORE" had been written in scarlet paint that matched the slashed and splattered bed beneath it.

Shino felt his destruction beetles hissing loudly as he looked down to see the pain written plainly in Ino's eyes as she placed a hand on her belly.

"They're wrong. I'm not a whore." whispered Ino after a while, her shock slowly turning into another emotion.

Shino nodded sharply as he took in the sight of Ino's underwear slashed and strewn across in the room as his anger intensified.

"They have no right….to pass judgment….on me." hissed out the blonde, her little kikai hissing and flapping their wings aggressively.

"No – Ino, you're right." replied Shino darkly as he raised his other hand and silently summoned the two little kikai over.

Rex and Spike darted over to their host, ready to do his bidding.

"And… when I find the persons responsible for this, they are going to be praying for a swift death." countered Shino grimly as he watched the two tiny Kikai dash out the window.

"Shino…" began the young woman, only to stop as she felt Shino caress her shoulder.

"No – Ino….no mercy. They dared to enter your home and were planning to hurt you. I will not allow them a chance to try again." Replied Shino darkly.

Ino swallowed the lump rising in her throat at that pronouncement and silently hoped that whoever was responsible for this mess wasn't that foolish.

------------------------------------------------------------

The men in the back room could hear the whispers filtering through the restaurant get louder.

"Lah, I wonder what is happening in the main room? They seem rather chatty in there." asked Choza idly as he reached for a sliver of meat from the barbecue.

"Who the hell cares!" griped Inoichi morosely as he picked up his cup of sake and took a sip.

"Relax, Inoichi… he will show." replied the Nara with a smile.

"That's easy for you to say, Shikaku… you're not the one waiting on pins and needles here. I am still not convinced he will show despite your reassurances to the contrary." responded Inoichi with a bite in his tone.

"I was surprised to see a contract offer so soon… could it mean that you truly care for your daughter after all?" murmured a quiet and commanding voice amidst the whispers still coming from the main dining room.

The three men looked up to see a tall imposing cloaked figure standing at the entrance to their private room.

"I see you still know how to make an entrance, Aburame…that explains the noise in the main dining room." murmured Shikaku with a smile.

"Mah – anytime I venture forth into a public place seems to cause a stir. Our clan are used to the whispers by now." returned Shibi with an easy smile of his own, hidden behind his collar.

Inoichi bit back the retort that was at the tip of his tongue and instead, nodded curtly before gesturing to the vacant seat at the table.

"You're a lucky man, Yamanaka ...to have such beautiful women to grace your life." murmured the Aburame Clan Leader in unabashed admiration as he took a seat at the table next to a delighted Choza.

"You met my wife?" asked Inoichi in shock.

"Yes – she came over to check on her daughter and stayed for tea… lovely lady." replied Shibi with a smile behind his collar.

"Is she still upset with me?" asked Inoichi in concern.

A soft husky chuckle rustled out from behind the collar as the Aburame Clan Leader replied, "Not any more…she's pleased to hear that you've come back to your senses so quickly and she says that Ino better have a large ceremony or there will be hell to pay."

Inoichi smiled and nodded, looking visibly relieved that his wife was back to her good humor.

"I was intrigued by your offer, Yamanaka… I'm impressed that you would be prepared to make such a sacrifice – especially, since your clan is rightfully entitled to ask for one of the boys to train in your clan's unique abilities." murmured Shibi.

"It was pointed out to me that keeping the twins together would be in the best interests of the two clans." countered Inoichi.

The Aburame nodded in the direction of Shikaku and replied, "Yes, the Nara is correct… and I imagine that he has already told you that I would be prepared to negotiate a suitable agreement to prevent the boys from being separated from each other?"

The large blonde man nodded and murmured gruffly, "Yes…what are your terms?"

"My clan will be responsible for the twins' training and they will accept their breeding pair when the time comes…" said Shibi, a hint of a smile peaking out from behind his collar.

"Agreed…but in exchange… we request the next child from the union to be exempt from the kikai ceremony and given to the Yamanaka Clan to be raised and trained in the family jutsus." responded Inoichi.

"I don't perceive that being a problem but I want to see the child back at the compound every night for dinner." replied the Aburame.

"You wish the children to be brought up together?" asked the Yamanaka in surprise.

"Of course… they are a family, after all…One moment." replied the Aburame Clan Leader with a frown as he suddenly stretched out his hand.

"Is something wrong?" asked Choza in concern as he saw two hissing Kikai drop down onto the man's finger.

"Yamanaka… we will continue this conversation at a later date. Right now, I am needed over at your daughter's apartment." murmured Shibi.

Inoichi stood up and countered, "I am coming with you… what happened, Aburame?"

"Someone has broken into her home and destroyed it… it seems that the news of your daughter seeing my son has not been received favorably by some." hissed out Shibi in disgust as he mentally told the two little flying demons to show no mercy to the bastards that tried to hurt their mistress.

An evil little grin flickered on the clan leader's face as the two kikai howled their outrage and flapped their wings aggressively in reply.

"Shikaku, Choza…can you go and inform the Hokage that my daughter's home has been vandalized? I will try to meet up with you two later if I can," murmured Inoichi, pulling out his wallet to pay for the meal.

Shikaku nodded as the two men dashed out of the restaurant.

"Who would be stupid enough to do something as dumb as that?" asked Choza in bewilderment.

"Someone with a death wish…come on, Choza…we need to go and see the Hokage." replied Shikaku as he stood up and walked over to the exit.

---------------------------------------------------

"Ino, are you okay?"

Ino turned quickly and ran over to the doorway where her father stood with a concerned look on his face.

"We came as soon as we got the summons." replied the second figure behind Inoishi.

"I have sent a Kikai for Kiba and Akamaru…hopefully he will be here shortly." murmured Shino with a nod to his father.

"How bad is it?" asked Shibi as he walked into the apartment surveying the damage as he strolled over to his son's side.

"Pretty bad…" countered Shino with a nod towards the bedroom wall.

Destruction beetles hissed and rustled loudly under the Aburame Clan Leader's skin as he took in the words scrawled across the wall.

"Is she okay?" asked Shibi after he finally got control of his Kikai.

"She's mad as hell… they smashed her favorite vase. Do you blame her?" responded Shino sourly.

"No, son… not at all." countered the Aburame with a small hiss.

"What do you want to do, Aburame?" asked the voice of the Yamanaka behind the two men.

"I will be in the other room with Ino if you need me, father." murmured Shino as he glanced at the large blonde man standing in the bedroom entrance before he walked past and out into the living room.

"Shino has sent for the Inuzuka to assist us in finding who did this. I'll get Shino to take Ino back to the Aburame compound and then…we're going hunting." replied Shibi coolly.

"Daddy…it's not true… what they wrote." murmured a female voice softly behind the two clan leaders.

Inoichi turned and looked at his daughter with a miffed expression on her face in the arms of Shino Aburame.

The sound of destruction beetles humming filled the air as he continued to gaze at his child in understanding before finally replying, "I know, sweetheart…"

"Why would someone write something so vulgar?" countered Ino with a hurt expression on her face.

"There are a lot of narrow minded people out there, Ino and not everyone is going to be delighted with the news that you wish to be with my son." murmured Shibi.

"The Aburame is correct, sweetheart and I am ashamed to admit that I had initially thought similarly…but thankfully, I had some sense talked into me." replied Inoichi, a ruddy blush on his face.

Ino looked at her father with wide blue eyes as he cleared his throat and gruffly said, "I'm sorry, Ino…I can see now that Shino is the man for you and I just hope that you can forgive me for being so damn stupid."

The blonde was about to reply when the small group heard a sound just outside the door.

Ino mentally told the boys to check it out before she turned and stalked out of the apartment.

A couple of moments later, a blood curdling yell echoed out into the narrow corridor, "HOLY KAMI!!! CALL THEM OFF!! BITCH! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! ARRRGHHH!!"

Inoichi shot the two Aburame males a look of alarm before dashing out the door, muttering a curse word under his breath.

Shino and his father stepped out in the hallway to see a couple of curious neighbors had opened their doors to investigate the noise, only to slap them shut in alarm at the sight of the man on his knees, blood starting to drop from his nose and large red welts suddenly appearing on the man's skin.

"No – you will tell me what I need to know ….and now." countered Ino curtly, her fingers locked firmly into position in front of her body.

Inoichi watched in horror as the man let out a low moan and knew his daughter was doing what she did best – interrogating him.

"Should she be doing this in her present condition?" asked a male voice behind him, the concern lacing his voice.

Inoichi turned to see the two Aburame males watching the scene with more than mild interest.

The male fell forward onto his hands and knees as the blood continued to slowly trickle out of his nose unimpeded and the welts on his body increased with an alarming rate.

"Ino……" murmured Shino gently.

"Shino…no. He either gives me the information I seek ….or I fry his brain." replied the blonde woman, her blue eyes trained on the man in front of her.

The welts were now open bleeding sores and the man was starting to froth at the corner of his lips.

"Ino…Ibiki is not going to be too pleased if we show up with a vegetable for a prisoner." said Inoichi with a warning tone in his voice.

"Dad…you know Ibiki Morino doesn't give a rat's ass as long as we file a full report." growled Ino as she continued to work on the man at the end of the hallway.

"Shino…retrieve those two…I believe they have inflicted enough damage for the moment." murmured Shibi.

The Aburame Clan Leader watched with a small twitch to his lips as the two destruction beetles loudly howled and hissed in protest before flying back to Shino with their tiny wings flapping erratically.

"Yes… I know you two weren't finished…still, you shouldn't overdo it…you don't want miss out on the hunt for the others…" murmured Shibi as the beetles dropped down onto Shino's outstretched finger.

The Aburame Clan leader felt a small smile appear on his lips as he listened to the kikai beetles report and felt his own kikai rustling under the surface of his skin in anticipation of a chakra feast.

"Okay… I got what we need, dad." Murmured Ino as the Aburames observed the man collapsing to the ground with a groan as the blonde turned to her father.

"Damn it, Ino… you're always taking it to the wire… I'm going to have a chat with Ibiki tomorrow about limiting your time in the cells." growled Inoichi, trying to cover up how worried he was about her.

"Your family specializes in interrogation? How intriguing… I can see why you would wish to negotiate for a child to be exempt from the ceremony… it is certainly a fearsome and impressive technique." murmured Shibi in admiration.

"You sent the Aburame Clan a contract?" asked Ino in surprise to the still figure of her father.

"Yes. I know that I have screwed up, Ino…and I'm sorry, baby. While there is nothing I can do about the Sanctuary agreement, I can still make amends." murmured Inoichi, feeling foolish over his initial objection to this union between the two clans.

"The Yamanaka has requested that your next child be exempt from the Kikai ceremony….amongst other things." murmured Shibi with a small smile behind his collar.

"The next child?" asked Ino with a blush.

"Ino – I am well aware of the fact that my son is unable to keep his hands to himself when he is in your presence…so another child a couple of years after the birth of the twins or even sooner is most certain." replied Shibi with a knowing chuckle.

"I don't see you too broken hearted over the prospect of having more grandchildren to spoil, father." countered Shino dryly as he walked over to Ino and wrapped his arms around her.

"Nope, I'm one happy old bug nest." said Shibi with a broad grin peaking out from behind his collar.

Inoichi felt a smile come to his own lips as he contemplated a future of sharing his grandchildren with this man.

_Shikaku and The Hokage were indeed wise…Yes - it was best to have this man on his side than against him._

----------------------------------------

She had spent the last hour just walking and trying to think of a plausible reason why her man would be touching that blonde bitch in such a familiar way in front of that restaurant but it was no good.

Temari felt as though her heart had shattered into a million shards and in a way it had because it was obvious to her that Shikamaru still loved Ino.

_Bastard… utter bastard._

_No matter what she did… it seemed that she couldn't replace Ino in Shika's life…_

"The little bitch! Shika…damn you!" muttered Temari brokenly under her breath, feeling the hurt and jealously boil and churn inside her as she stalked down the road towards the apartment she shared with the lazy genius.

The hot salty tears now falling freely down her cheeks clouded her eyes as she continued down the road, not noticing the concerned look of one of the shinobi she rushed past.

"Shikaku….wasn't that…" murmured Choza apprehensively as his friend continued to watch the retreating back of the blonde.

"Yes…it seems that I will need to apologize to Yukino later…but I have a feeling that she's not going to be too upset about this particular delay somehow…" murmured the Nara as he left his old team mate to follow the young woman.

"It must be a full moon this evening…" remarked Choza softly before he shuffled off towards his home.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Temari slammed the door behind her and stalked over to the little walk in closet in the bedroom.

She pulled out a heavy back pack, throwing it onto the bed before crossing over to the chest of drawers.

"Where are you planning to go in such a hurry, daughter of my heart?" asked a lazy voice from the bedroom door.

Temari's eyes widened in shock as she realized who was standing behind her and felt the pain knife deeper into her soul at Shikamaru's betrayal.

The fan wielder opened the drawer, pulled out a pile of clothes and walked resolutely over to the bed.

"I'm heading back to Suna. I don't have anything that requires me to stay in Konoha any longer." replied the blonde in a dead voice as she opened the pack and placed the bundle inside before walking back over to the chest of drawers.

"Indeed? What about Shikamaru? I thought he was worth staying in the leaf village and fighting for…" asked Shikaku from his spot at the door, his keen eyes not missing the visible pain on the young kuniochi's face at the mention of his son.

"He's never going to give up Ino…and I am tired of dealing with the ghosts of old relationships." returned Temari sadly.

"How do you know this? Temari – not everything you see with your eyes is a betrayal of the love he has for you." murmured the elder Nara.

"I saw Shika touching her with affection in his eyes… not once has he told me that he loves me….so – why should I discount the evidence in front of me?" cried out Temari as she turned to face the shinobi.

"My son has never been one for verbal expressions of deep sentiment but I know that he does indeed love you." countered Shikaku.

Temari turned back to the open drawer and slumped forward, clutching the edge with white knuckled fingers.

_Kami…she truly wanted to believe that…_

"It's been almost a year since we've been engaged, Shikaku-san….and we were dating for a few months prior to the announcement. Are you sure that is indeed the case? I used to think that as well, Nara-sama …but now, I am not so sure anymore." replied Temari quietly.

Shikaku's eyes widened in shock at that statement before countering with a frown, "Have you asked him if he loves you?"

Temari gripped tighter onto the smooth surface of the drawer with a small curt nod and replied in a tight voice, "He always says the same thing…what's the point in using mere words when his actions speak stronger?"

Shikaku's brows slashed down ominously on his face as the fan wielder continued, "I feel torn up by jealousy… I can't help it. When he used to meet up with Ino at the Flower shop… his eyes always held such tenderness and affection… I always wanted him to look at me like that…"

"Is that why you don't like Ino?" asked Shikaku quietly.

"Yes… I know that I have acted badly towards her…but Shikaku-san…every time I see her… I see the one person who has the potential to take away the one man that I ever needed… I try hard not to hate her but…it's difficult." admitted Temari, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Temari… I just ask that you wait to speak with Shikamaru first before you decide to head back to Suna." said Shikaku quietly, more than a little concerned by her silence.

The sound of muffled crying prompted the elder Nara to step fully into the room, walk over to the still figure unmoved in front of the piece of bedroom furniture and enfolded her within his arms.

"Shikaku-san…you ask too much of me... I can't bear the thought of watching his face as he tells me that he wants Ino." replied Temari brokenly.

"Temari…please, don't run from this! I know there must be a satisfactory reason for what you saw." countered the Nara, holding her tightly and feeling the shudders wrack her smaller build and continued, "Ino does not want Shikamaru and will never take him from you…it's clear by her decision that her heart belongs solely to the Aburame Heir."

"Shino Aburame? Ino is seeing him?!" asked Temari aghast as shock replaced her heartbreak.

"Yes and I am sure if you decide to stay long enough to ask my son, you will find out that Shino was most likely with Ino and Shikamaru." responded Shikaku persuasively, privately hoping to hell that the young woman would listen to reason.

"Ino could change her mind…" began Temari, still not convinced that the situation was indeed innocent in nature.

"The Sanctuary of the Kikai is a life bond. Ino made the decision of her own accord to take Shino Aburame as her life mate… she would never leave him for another man….not even yours." murmured Shikaku softly.

The Nara Clan Leader held his breath as the fan wielder gave his words careful consideration.

"Okay, Shikaku-san….I will stay long enough to listen to Shikamaru's side….but I am not planning to stay here this evening." said Temari in a small hurt voice.

Shikaku felt vastly relieved by the blonde kuniochi's change of heart and replied, "You can stay in our home tonight. If you still wish to leave after you and Shikamaru have talked…I will provide safe passage for you back to Suna. Is this agreeable to you?" countered the Nara.

Temari closed her eyes briefly as she felt her heart give a lurch as the idea of turning her back on Shika.

"Yes, it's agreeable." murmured Temari finally.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Yamanaka frowned thoughtfully, trying to analyze the information his daughter just transferred into his own mind.

"Is there a problem, Yamanaka-san?" asked Shibi, watching the various emotions drift across the clan leader's face.

"What's up? I got here as soon as I received the summons." asked a third voice.

The two clan leaders looked up to see the Inuzuka walking down the narrow hallway, his large canine companion following closely behind him.

"Ino's apartment got vandalized…" replied Shino quietly as he watched Ino patch up the prone figure on the ground, now bound tightly with chakra enforced rope.

"Spike, Rex…where are you going?!" exclaimed Ino as the two Kikai suddenly darted off down the hallway and around the corner.

"Call them off my ANBU, Aburame. The Hokage has sent us to investigate this matter." drifted out an authoritative voice.

"Ino – call them back." Intoned Shibi with a smile, as the head of Torture and Interrogation appeared at the end of the corridor with a team of cursing ANBU.

The two destruction beetles immediately stopped attacking and flew back to their mistress, cooing and chirping as they settled back in their hiding spots in the hollow of the blonde's collar bones.

"Morino-sensei…my apologies… they are normally well behaved but tonight's business has made them more aggressive than usual." said Ino contritely to her boss, trying to ignore Shibi's knowing chuckle.

"My daughter is expecting, Morino-san… the Kikai were given to her by her future husband as additional protection." responded Inoichi as Ibiki walked over to where Ino was healing the prisoner.

The Interrogation expert surveyed the untreated open sores on the man lying bound and unconscious for a few moments before finally murmuring, "I see these two are going to be formidable down in the cells."

"They certainly have the disposition for it." replied Shibi dryly.

Ibiki felt the smirk tug at the corner of his mouth at the Aburame Clan Leader's comment before turning and looking at the Yamanaka with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"It seems that a small band of thugs were hired by three clans to scare Ino." murmured Inoichi grimly.

"Did Ino manage to get the names of the clans?" asked Ibiki with a knowing look.

"She managed to retrieve two names but the man was unable to give her the third…it seems that he truly doesn't know." replied Inoichi with a frown.

Ibiki glanced over at the prisoner briefly before turning his eyes back onto the three clan leaders.

"I see. I suggest we round up this band and see what else we can find out that will lead us to this mysterious third clan. The fact that they have chosen to hide their identity indicates that they are aware of Ino's unique ability." said Ibiki.

Kiba gave a curt nod before walking into Ino's trashed apartment.

Ibiki watched Kiba disappear into the apartment and addressed the two clan leaders, "We are going hunting. When we get back, I want a list of clans who have recently approached your respective clans in view of an alliance through marriage."

"There have been offers?" asked Shino, mildly surprised as the two little kikai started hissing in reaction to Ino's jealousy at the thought of other women wanting her man.

"Yes, Shino….there have been many offers…but I refused them when I had found out that you had chosen a life mate." countered Shibi with a nod towards the blonde kneeling on the floor.

After a few minutes, a voice called out, "I've got a lock on their scents… we're ready to go hunting whenever you give the word, Ibiki-san."

"Bear – I want you to escort the prisoner to the cells... Heron – I want you to escort Shino-san and Ino-san back to the Aburame Compound." said Ibiki.

"Shino, I want you to alert the elders of the situation and tighten the patrols around the compound until we find the clans responsible." countered Shibi.

Shino nodded as he helped Ino to her feet and walked towards the ANBU wearing a Heron mask, waiting for them near the stairs.

"Ino... I think we have another one of those heavy crystal vases down at the shop. I'll ask your mother to track it down and bring it over, okay?" murmured Inoichi.

The blonde looked over at her father and smiled softly, "Thanks, dad…I would appreciate it."

The group watched the couple follow the ANBU down the stairs and waited until their footsteps receded into the darkness.

Ibiki walked into the apartment and surveyed the damage in silence, not missing a single detail in his visual sweep.

"Yamanaka…it's obvious to me that this group was hired to more than just give your daughter a scare." remarked the scarred man after a while as he took in the words scrawled across the bedroom wall in red spray paint.

The Interrogation and Torture Expert strolled leisurely out of the apartment and addressed Inoichi.

"I will get Iruka-san to assign a couple of Genin Teams to clean up this mess but your daughter won't be allowed to return here… it's been compromised."

"She will be perfectly fine amongst my clan. No one would be foolish to try to infiltrate a compound surrounded by Kikaichuu patrols." replied Shibi.

"Yes – I'm sure those destruction beetles of hers will provide a deadly final line of defense." countered Ibiki dryly.

"Yes – those two are vicious…even by our clan's standards." murmured Shibi with a smirk.

Ibiki turned to Kiba and asked, "Well, Inuzuka…where do we start our search?"

Kiba gave the man a decidedly wolfish grin and responded, "We go west."

The Torture Expert looked over at the two remaining ANBU and barked, "You heard him…let's go hunting."

Kiba hopped onto Akamaru's back and the group disappeared with a flicker.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Yukino opened the door to find a red eyed Temari and a solemn looking Shikaku standing on the porch.

"Yukino, Temari will be staying with us this evening. Could you make her comfortable in Shika's old room?" asked Shikaku as he gently ushered the blonde woman into the house.

Yukino nodded and took Temari by the arm as she led her to a bedroom at the back of the house.

"What's going on, Shikaku?" questioned Yukino, not bothering to get the worry out of her face.

"There has been a misunderstanding. Temari feels that our son doesn't love her and will leave her for Ino." replied Shikaku with a sigh.

"The Yamanaka girl? She avoids Shika like the plague…besides didn't she disown her clan for an Aburame lad?" murmured Yukino before she walked over and put the kettle on to boil.

"Temari – I'm making some green tea…would you like a cup?" called out Yukino.

"Yes, please…." drifted out a voice.

"Not any Aburame lad, Yukino… It's Shibi's boy….anyway – Temari followed him tonight and saw him with Ino…. She was planning on leaving to go back to Suna but I managed to convince her that she should talk to Shika first."

The couple looked up as they heard a door open and watched Temari walking towards them.

"Temari…I have some fresh dango…that should cheer you up." Said Yukino with a hopeful smile.

"That would be lovely…thank you." murmured Temari softly as she sat dejectedly at the table.

"Temari….every couple has problems…How they deal with those problems depends on the bond of your relationship." Said Shikaku in a quiet undertone.

"Have you tried talking to Shika about your concerns?" asked Yukino with a frown.

Temari bit her lip and nodded.

"Every time I tried to broach the subject, he puts his hand up to his forehead and starts rubbing. He just doesn't wish to deal with something he feels is too troublesome." Sighed the fan wielder sadly.

Shikaku exchanged a knowing glance with his wife before turning to look at the heartbroken young woman staring a hole into the kitchen table.

_Yes – that was a big problem._

Shikaku stood up with a sigh and turned to walk out the door.

"Where are you going, Shikaku-san?" asked Temari as the elder Nara opened the door.

Shikaku glanced over at his wife before looking back at the blonde.

"I'm going to go and wait for my son's return… it's time some one pointed out some home truths to him." replied the Nara Clan Leader dourly before exiting the house quietly.

"What's he going to do to him?" asked Temari, more than a little concerned.

"Nothing that the lazy baka doesn't deserve." replied Yukino before reaching into the fridge and pulling out the dango.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Shikamaru pushed open his front door and frowned perplexed at the sight of his father sitting there on his couch reading a book on traditional medicine.

"Father, what are you doing here and where's Temari?" asked the lazy nin looking casually around the apartment as he closed the door behind him.

"You're out late, son…She's staying in our home this evening…" replied Shikaku, not bothering to look up from his book.

"I was talking to Shino and Ino for a while…Why is she staying at your place?" asked Shikamaru with a frown.

The elder Nara sighed, put his book down and stared at his only child, slightly aggravated by his clueless ness.

_For a genius – he had no clue when it came to matters of the heart._

"She saw you with Ino and is convinced that you will leave her." Returned Shikaku bluntly, watching his son's face closely for signs of emotion.

"Man, what a drag…I don't see why everyone is so concerned about our relationship….she's just over reacting again." drawled Shikamaru reaching up to rub his forehead.

"I don't believe so, son… the only reason she's staying at our place and not on her way back to Suna is that I managed to persuade her to wait to talk to you first….but now, I am beginning to think that maybe I should have let her go back to her own village." replied Shikaku in a dark undertone.

"She was planning to leave me? Why?" asked Shikamaru in disbelief.

"She thinks that you don't love her." countered the Nara Clan Leader, a hint of frustration in his tone.

Shikaku saw the blank expression on his son's face as well as the pain and confusion.

The Nara stood up with a long sigh and walked over to his son, grasping firmly onto his shoulders.

"Shika… if you truly love Temari as you claim…you need to tell her so. I can tell that she loves you but the uncertainty of where she stands in her life is hurting her and your reluctance to address her concerns is only making the situation between you worsen."

Shikamaru pushed a hand through his hair and sighed, "Tsk, troublesome…"

Shikaku looked at his son aghast before murmuring darkly, "Hmmph, you think it's troublesome to admit that you feel more than mere physical lust for Temari? If that is indeed the case…then maybe you truly deserve to lose her to a better man who will appreciate her."

"Father, you don't understand how frustrating it is… being constantly asked whether I went to see Ino. I don't want to fight with her over this." replied Shikamaru with an aggrieved sigh.

"So…you let her twist in the wind and allow her insecurities over her relationship with you mount up and feed upon themselves… You don't see that as a problem, son?" countered Shikaku.

"You wouldn't understand…. You let my mother nag you and you seem content in that type of relationship… I see Temari's questions as a form of nagging….and I don't want to deal with it." responded Shikamaru sourly.

"So you ignore her concerns because you would rather be a coward than confront your problems head on…. I'm disappointed in your attitude, Shika. Your mother may wear the pants in my marriage but she sure as hell knows that I love her…she never doubts that, son. Temari has no such reassurance. I would rather be hen pecked than be in your sorry position." retorted Shikaku with a smirk.

Shikamaru watched numbly as his father walked over to the door and glanced back over his shoulder.

"Maybe a night of sleeping in a cold bed will put some sense in your head… its funny what you miss when it's not in your life anymore." said Shikaku quietly before he opened the door and walked out into the night.

Shikamaru continued to stare at the door and tried to imagine a future without Temari in it…and felt his heart breaking.


End file.
